PARTICEPATMN .IN ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD A PUBLIC SCHOOLS Thesis far the Degree of Ed. D. MiCHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LEONARD 1 PAUL MURTAUGH 1968 41in“. .v‘ . ‘ ‘, “mu‘ LIB‘RA R y erblf‘fi" gram WWW unmmmmmmmm ‘ 3 1293 01106 2613 Umnmty This is to certify that the thesis entitled PARTICIPATION IN ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS presented by Leonard Paul Murtaugh has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ed. D. degree in Edggacion ' / / 4. Majgr profeséir . éézpitf ' 49£ZZZZZZi<- Detox/2%: 2 5/ /¢é// 0-169 The relation bel and the for toward publ to several do adult ed toward the if any, cha (3) To what PUblic SCho changes in teristics 0 to account and (5) Wha’ adult Educa The in the 1,12 Pregram dur were divided and tho Se WI. ABSTRACT PARTICIPATION IN ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS by Leonard Paul Murtaugh The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between participation in adult education programs and the formation or change of attitudes of participants toward public schools. Specifically, the study was directed to several basic questions: (1) To what extent, if any, do adult education programs promote changes in attitudes toward the public schools?; (2) Which adult students, if any, change their attitudes toward the public schools?; (3) To what extent can changes in attitude toward the public schools be demonstrated to be authentic?; (4) Can changes in attitude be predicted from describable charac- teristics of participants?; (5) What factors may be shown to account for changes in attitudes among participants?; and (6) What are the implications of these changes for adult education programs? The population studied was the 7,235 adults enrolled in the 1,123 classes in the Flint, Michigan adult education program during the Winter Term of 1967. These participants ‘were divided into two groups: beginning adult students, and those who had taken at least one previous adult class. Leonard Paul Murtaugh A random sample from each group was tested during the first two weeks of class and again ten weeks later, using the same instrument. Responses were compared between the groups and between the pre- and post-test to determine if the participants could report changes in attitudes toward the schools, and whether beginning adult students changed their attitudes to the same degree as repeating adult students. The responses to each question on the instrument were tabulated for each group on both pre-test and post- test. Tabulations were expressed in per cent. Question- naires then were classified by personal characteristics of respondents. These included: sex, marital status, occupation, age, length of residence in the Flint area, school district residence, number of children, number of children attending public schools, highest grade of school completed, number and dates of classes taken before the current enrollment, number of other classes in which enrolled, and length of time since voting in a school election. To determine changes in attitudes among the begin- ning and repeating groups, means from pre- and post-tests were compared. The "t-test" was employed to determine differences between pre- and post-test means. Differences were deemed to be significant at the 0.05 level of confi- dence. This level was attained by the beginning group on five of the repeati In their repli ticity of a pre- and po In each cas positive di could occur The Flint adult favorably d initial 01: ; Participant; during the 1 “5'13; and toward the 1 disposed tor The value of ad (2) Adult er Public relal ESPECially l education p Leonard Paul Murtaugh on five of the nine questions on the instrument, and by the repeating group on only two of the nine. In view of the small number of students who changed their replies, it seemed advisable to determine the authen- ticity of attitude change. The direction of change in pre- and post-test responses was observed for each group. In each case, it was observed that changes were in the positive direction. The probability that such changes could occur by chance was found to be infinitesimal. The principal findings of this study were: (1) The Flint adult education program enrolls adults who already are favorably disposed toward the schools at the time of their initial or subsequent enrollment; (2) Very few of the participants changed their point of view toward the schools during the ten-week interval between the pre— and post— tests; and (3) 0f adult students who changed the attitude toward the public schools, most became more favorably disposed toward the schools. The conclusions were: (1) The public relations value of adult education programs have been overstated; (2) Adult education programs have limited impact in the public relations area; and (3) Further research is needed, especially with attitudes and populations of adult education participants. in PARTICIPATION IN ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY Leonard Paul Murtaugh A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION College of Education 1968 Tl Community who distri this resea Director .5 advice and Community Consultant Watson, an their assi nullity Sch Th adult educ Pregram Di assiStant, helpful wa Clancy, As The G “(4? we?) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer appreciates the assistance of the Community School Directors of the Flint Community Schools who distributed and collected the forms that initiated this research. Gratitude is due Bill H. Basilius, the Director at Northwestern Community High School for his advice and counsel. George Pat Barley, Consultant of the Community School Directors Program, and the Regional Consultants, James Robinson, Edward E. Thorne, Ledell Watson, and William J. Yambrick are accorded thanks for their assistance in distributing materials to the Com- munity School Directors. The aid of Dr. Myrtle F. Black, the director of adult education extended school services of the Mott Program Division of the Flint Community Schools and her assistant, Dr. Marvin Sitts was appreciated. Especially helpful was the assistance and advice of Dr. Peter L. Clancy, Associate Superintendent, Mott Program of the Flint Community Schools. The writer is deeply indebted to Professor Karl T. Hereford of the College of Education for his patience and ii his excelle and improve Mos Mary Jo blur and assista this work. iii his excellent suggestions for the preparation, presentation, and improvement of this study. Mbst of all the writer is indebted to his wife, Mary Jo Murtaugh, whose, patience, suggestions, understanding, and assistance contributed greatly to the completion of this work. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter I. II. III. IV. PROBI-‘EM O O O O O C O O I O O O O O O O The Flint Adult Education Program Purpose of the Study Other Studies Method Central Findings and Conclusions Definitions of Terms Used Organization of Thesis “TI-10D O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O The Population and Sample The Instrument Operational Definitions Research Procedure Method of Analysis Characteristics of the Respondents CHANGES IN ATTITUDE . . . . . . . . . . . Analysis of Replies Direction of Changed Replies Summary of All Replies Summary ADULT STUDENTS WHO CHANGED . . . . . . . . Characteristic by Type of Changed Reply Characteristics of Those Who Changed Replies Those Who Changed in the Positive Direction Those Who Changed in the Negative Direction Those Who Changed from No Reply Summary of Changed Replies iv ii vi 12 30 41 Chapter Page V. AUTHENTICITY OF REPORTED CHANGES . . . . . 57 The Pattern of Change Summary VI . FRED ICT IONS O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 64 Study of the Summary of Questionnaires Positive Changes in Attitude Negative Changes in Attitude Changes from.No Reply Important Characteristics in Change Summary VII. INTERPRETATION AND IMPLICATIONS . . . . . 7O Interpretation Implications APPENDIX C O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 76 BIBLIOGMPHY O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 10 3 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Characteristics of Beginning and Repeating Adult Students in Number and Per Cent . . 23 2. Significance at the 5% Level Between the Pre-test and the Post-test Responses . . 31 3. Number of Respondents Changing Responses Between the Pre-test and Post-test . . . 32 4. Direction of Changed Responses on Each Question of the Beginning and Former Adult Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 5. Summary of Responses to Question: ”How Good Are the Schools in Your District?" . 34 6. Summary of Responses to Question: "In General, How Well Are Schools Educating Children?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 7. Summary of Responses to Question: "In General, How Well Are Schools in Your District Educating Children?" . . . . . . 35 8. Summary of Responses to Question: "In General, How Well Are Schools Educating AdultS? ' O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O O O 36 9. Summary of Responses to Question: "How Well Do You Think School Tax.Money is spent?" . O O O C C C O O O O O O O O O O 36 10. Summary of Responses to Question: "Do You Believe School Taxes Should Be Increased?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 vi vii Table Page 11. Summary of Responses to Question: "In General, How Do You Feel About the Cost of School Buildings?" . . . . . . . 37 12. Summary of Responses to Question: "In General, Do You Feel Teachers Do a Good Job?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 13. Summary of Responses to Question: "Do You Feel That the Schools Do a Good Job in Communicating with the Public?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 14. Frequency with which Changes by Charac- teristic Were Ten Per Cent Greater Than Their Occurrence in the Sample . . . 44 15. Frequency with which Changes Among Positive Changes in Responses Were Ten Per Cent Greater Than the Occurrence of the Characteristic in the Sample . . . . . . 46 16. Characteristics of Beginning Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses Downward on Those Questions Where Such a Change Occurred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 17. Characteristics of Repeating Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses Downward on Those Questions Where Such a Change Occurred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 18. Characteristics of the Beginning Adult . Students Who Changed Their Response from "Not Replying" to Checking One of the Given Replies . . . . . . . . . . 51 19. Characteristics of Former Adult Students 'Who Changed Their Reply from "Not Replying to Checking One of the Given Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 20. Positive and Negative Changes in Responses on Each Questions by Group . . . . . . . 58 21. Characteristics of Beginning Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses in Either Direction on Each Question . . . . . . . 84 Table 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. viii Page Characteristics of Former Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses in Either Direction on Each Question . . . . . . . 86 Characteristics of the Beginning Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses Ten Per Cent or More Than Their Ratio in the Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Characteristics of the Former Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses Ten Per Cent ore More Than Their Ratio in the Sample . 9O Characteristics of Beginning Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses in a Positive Direction on Each Question . . . . . . . 93 Characteristics of Former Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses in a Positive Direction on Each Question . . . . . . . 95 Characteristics of Beginning Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses in a Positive Direction Ten Per Cent or More Than Their Ratio in the Sample . . . . . . . . 97 Characteristics of Former Adult Students Who Changed Their Responses in a Positive Direction Ten Per Cent or More Than Their Ratio in the Sample . . . 100 promote] Kempfer adul that of 1 the sam. inc 111d 11 11988 to of abl Par 0f edu beC man CHAPTER I PROBLEM Many educators argue that adult education programs promote favorable attitudes toward the public schools. 1 Kempfer , for example, states: Superintendents in districts having satisfactory adult-education programs almost invariably report that good support for the schools is a by-product of these programs. School public relations men also seem to feel the same way. McCloskey says that any adult participation, including adult education, increases a person's willing- ness to support good schools. According to Kindred: Communit adult education which meets the needs of large numgers of people is bound to have a favor- able influence on public opinion. Those who take part in the programs are almost always appreciative of the opportunity provided for continuing their education and satisfying other interests. They become acquainted with regular employees who teach many of the classes and through these relationships 1 Homer Kempfer Adult Education (New York: McGraw Hill Book Co., Inc., 1955), pp. 38-9. 2 Gordon MbCloskey, Education and Public Understandin (New York: Harper and Row, PEBIIsEers, 1959}, pp. 334-8. 3Leslie W. Kindred, School Public Relations (Englggogg Cliffs, N. J.: PrentIce-HaII, Inc., 1957), PP- ' . ture o Judgme: promot: as in ' but ra conten- Promotr warran' Which 1 of Gene fiVe m: induStr the tur mainly to 1mm signifi CharleS Ghabled 2 have more confidence in the school system. More- over, every class taught by a regular employee serves to demonstrate the advancement made in instructional methods and materials over the years. Many are awakened to a deeper realization of the contribution education makes to their own lives and the lives of others and they become stronger supporters of the schools. Statements similar to these abound in the litera- ture of adult education and school public relations. Judgments that participation in adult education programs promotes favorable attitudes toward the public schools, as in the citations above, are not based upon research, but rather upon the observations of the writers. The contention--that participation in adult education programs promotes positive attitudes toward schools and education-- 'warrants systematic study. 1h; F_1_i£t_ Ad_u_l_t Education Program Flint, Michigan seemed an ideal community in which to conduct the research. Flint is the county seat of Genesee County, Michigan and is located some sixty- five miles north-northwest of Detroit. It is a highly industrial community whose population in 1960 was 196,940. Flint began a program in adult education around the turn of the century. At first, programs were devoted mainly to the teaching of English and citizenship skills to immigrants. In the summer of 1935, the program was significantly broadened through the philanthropy of Charles Stewart Mott. The first Mott sponsored program enabled the Flint Public School system to open their 3 school buildings in the summers, on Saturdays, and in the evenings during the regular school year for use in recreation and adult education activities. An initial grant of $6,000 was increased many times until more than $4,000,000 of the annual budget of the Flint Board of Education comes from the Mott Foundation. The Mbtt Foundation has become synonomous with adult education in Flint. The Flint Community School system.has forty-four elementary schools, eight junior high schools, and four senior high schools. There is also a junior college with a cultural development program that includes an art center, a theater, a planetarium, an auditorium, and a museum.of transportation. Adult education classes are offered in seventy-three centers in and around Flint. Most of these meet in school buildings in the evening hours. More than 1,000 classes enrolling in excess of 10,000 among them, are offered each semester. The adult education program in Flint for several years has been well-regarded outside its own area. In 1950, Knowles“ listed Flint among four cities in the nation with "typical" programs of adult education in public schools. The administrators of the Flint adult education program have a crusading spirit and attempt TMalcolm S. Knowles, Informal Adult Education (New York: Association Press, I9505, pp. I4 - . 4 to convince the many visitors to the city that they too might reap the rewards that such a program offers. Among the benefits that the administrators of the program claim for it is that the program promotes public support of the school system. Statements similar to this may be found in various publications of the Flint Board of Education: A beneficial result of community involvement in the public schools is public support of the school system--of education. Parents and adults who become active in their schools take a keen interest in their own and their children's education. They thereby provide an invalu- able support that strengthens and improves the educa- tional program. A chief gain for education is taxpayer support of the schools. The Flint Board of Education has a marked record of success at the polls for extra and operating millage to upgrade education. . . . Purpose g£_the Study The Mott Program of the Flint Board of Education reports that public attitudes are positively influenced by their adult program. In this respect, it attributes the same far-reaching influence for adult education as Kempfer, McCloskey, and Kindred. If these claims can be demonstrated to be valid, powerful incentives might 'be developed for enlarging adult education programs through- out the United States. ‘ 5Flint Board of Education, The Flint Communit School Pro ram: An Overview (Flint, Mic EIga an: int Board of Efiucation, I963), p. 34. (Multilithed. ) 5 The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between participation in adult education programs and the formation or change of attitudes of participants toward public schools. Specifically, the study was directed to these basic question: 1. To what extent, if any, does the adult education program of the Flint Community Schools promote changes in the attitudes of its participants toward the public schools? I a. Can such changes be determined when participants are grouped by socio-demographic and adult pro- gram.characteristics? b. Are changes discernable after a ten week period of participation? Which adult students, if any, change their attitudes toward the public schools? a. Which students change in a positive direction? b. Which students change in a negative direction? To what extent can changes in attitude toward the public schools be demonstrated to be authentic? Can changes in attitudes be predicted from.describable characteristics of participants? What factors may be shown to account for changes in attitudes among participants? 6 6. What are the implications of these changes for the .Flint program of adult education? Q£he£,Studies 4 Three recent studies treated community support of the public schools. However, intnone were possible relationships examined between participation in an adult education program and support for the public schools. Therefore, this study was designed to determine if such participation has an effect upon support of the public school program. Holman6 found that school leaders tend to be personal influence leaders--as defined by Katz and Lazarsfe1d7--in their own neighborhood. He also found that school leaders may exert wider influence on public opinion; however, such influence was limited to persons whose socio-economic status was similar to that of the personal influence leader. Holman discovered that pro- fessional persons were the most significant personal influence leaders, especially with lower socio-economic groups. He found that those school leaders who were 6Paul Cameron Holman, "Community School Leaders as Personal Influence Leaders," (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, College of Education, Michigan State Univer- sity, 1965). 7Elihu Katz and Paul F. Lazarsfeld, Personal Influence (New York: Free Press, 1955). 7 personal influence leaders interacted frequently with their neighbors and that their influence was effective. School leaders were defined as PTA officers, homeroom mothers, and others in some non-professional capacity acting in a leadership role of some kind in one of the community schools in Flint, Michigan. Whisler8 studied the public relations activities of twelve school districts in the state of Michigan and the effect of such activities at the polls on millage and bond issues. He attempted to discern why some districts supported their schools financially while others did not. He reported that public relations activities had little effect on the financial support offered by the community to its schools. One of the problems reported by Whisler was to get the public involved and informed about its schools, and thereby to create a genuine interest in providing better education. One of his principal findings was that public relations activities were almost always mounted in short periods of time, and that real community support would only be forthcoming if the public were con- tinuously informed about the school program. 8Norman Leroy Whisler, ”Public Relations Activities and Voter Support of Public Schools," (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, College of Education, The Ohio State Uni- versity, 1965.) 814 in am set in! 18) the edt (2) mie nun adu pro pur inf. the Pro; SCht 8 Parnell9 studied behavior among voters in school elections. He found that voters differed from non-voters in that they were more prone to discuss school affairs, and that they were more active in the affairs of the school. School elections were reported to be of greater interest to people who had attained higher educational levels and were better informed about school affairs than their fellows. To the extent that (1) participants in an adult education program.may be personal influence leaders, A (2) some public relations activities of the public schools might be facilitated by the ease of reaching significant numbers of adults, and (3) through their participation, adult students should be better informed about the school program; then each of these researchers touched upon the purpose of the present study. Despite observations of informed people, there is no research evidence to support the contention that participation in an adult education program promulgates positive attitudes toward the public schools. tissue There were 7,235 adults enrolled in 1,123 classes in the Flint adult education program.during the winter 9Da1e Paul Parnell, "Voter Participation Patterns in Three Oregon School Districts," (unpublished Ph.D. dis- sertation, College of Education, University of Oregon, 1964). 9 term.of 1967. These were chosen for the study. They were divided into two groups: beginning adult students, and those who had taken at least one previous class. A random sample from each group was tested during the first two weeks of class and again ten weeks later, using the same instrument. Responses were compared between the groups and between the pre-test and the post-test to determine if the participants could report changes in attitudes toward the schools, and whether beginning adult students changed their attitudes to the same degree as repeating adult students. Central Findings 32g,Conclusions The central findings of this study were: 1. The Flint adult education program.enrolls adults who already are favorably disposed toward the schools at the time of their initial or subsequent enroll- ment . 2. Very few of the participants changed their point of view toward the schools duing the ten-week interval between the pre- and post-test. 3. Of adult students who changed their attitude toward the public schools, most became more favorably disposed toward the schools. These findings will be discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters. 10 The conclusions were: 1. The public relations value of adult education programs have been overstated. 2. Adult education programs have limited impact in the public relations area. 3. Further research is needed, especially with attitudes and populations of adult education participants. Definitions gf'Terms Used Adulg'Student In this study, an adult student was defined to be an individual who is pursuing an educational activity outside the framework of the K-12 sequence. The term, adult student, covers the spectrum from a twelve-year-old who may be enrolled in an evening knitting class, the seventeen-year-old drop-out taking high school credit classes at night, the thirty-year-old apprentice taking trigonometry in the morning, to the seventy-year-old involved in senior citizens activities on Saturdays. Adult Education Pro gram An adult education program is defined to be those classes or activities which are offered to adult students, both for credit and non-credit. In this study, the use of the term, adult education, was limited to those programs for adults that were conducted by the public schools. ll Attitudes No attempt was made to define attitudes in the sociological sense. In this study, attitudes were defined as feelings or opinions held by people toward the schools as indicated by their checked replies. Participation By participation is meant the act of enrolling and attending an adult education class or activity. Participants were those adults who were enrolled in the adult education program.end who continued to attend class through the ten week sequence. wization of Remainder 93 lh_e_s_i_._§ The method employed by this study is described in Chapter Two. Chapter Three is devoted to the prelimi- nary analysis of participant's attitudes toward the public schools. In Chapter Four, attention is focused upon the characteristics of adult students whose attitudes changed during the ten-week interval. A discussion of authenticity of changes is presented in Chapter Five. In the sixth Chapter, hypotheses are advanced as to the likelihood of different groups to undergo future changes in attitudes. In Chapter Seven, the results of the study are interpreted 'with specific reference to the adult education program in Flint. CHAPTER II METHOD To what extent, if any, are attitudes toward the public schools affected by participation in adult education programs? In order to study this question, a study was designed and conducted in a representative situation: Flint, Michigan. _'1‘_t_1_e_ Population 39.9. m All adult students enrolled in the adult education program.in Flint during the winter semester of 1967 com- prised the population for this study. During the first meeting of his adult education class, each of the 7,235 students completed a form.indicating whether or not this was his first enrollment. Students also reported their name, address, and details of the individual class in which they were enrolled. Of the 7,235 total enrollment, 1,462 adults were enrolling for their first adult education class; 5,773 replied that they had been previously enrolled in other adult education activities. These forms were grouped according to "first" or "previous" adult education 12 13 experience, alphabetized by name of student, and numbered consecutively. A ten per cent random sample of 146 parti- cipants was chosen from each group, utilizing the Rand Corporation table of million random digits.1 The population selected for study was comprised of two groups, each containing 146 adults. One group involved adults who were enrolled for the first time in an adult education program. The other included adults who had previously been enrolled in one or more courses or activities, and for whom.the current enrollment repre- sented at least a second contact with the Flint adult education program. Thgilnstrument Several instrument were examined that purport to measure attitudes or opinions of adults toward schools. It was found that none of them suited the purpose of this study and it was decided to adapt the more salient features of three: the Illinois Inventory 2f.§g£gnt_021nion2; _A Scale for Measuring Attitude Toward any Institution3; lrhe Rand Corporation, A Million Random Di its with 100,000 Normal Deviates (New YorE: The Free ress, 1955). 1 2Harold c. Hand, Gilbert c. Finlay, and Ardwin J.1d Do 10 Illinois Invento Ig£.Parent Opinion Chicago: WOr Book Company, 1948). 3Ida B. Kelley, A Scale for Measurin Attitude Toward.Any Institution ed. 3.3. Remmers (West Lafayette, IndIana: Purdue Research Foundation, 1934). (Multilithed.) l4 and the Citizen Opinion.§g£m§. In line with current prac- tice, the opinion section of the instrument was placed at the beginning. This consisted of nine questions relating to various aspects of the public school program. The next fourteen questions were designed to identify the responding according to socio-demographic characteristics and by type and scope of his involvement in adult education activities. These characteristics included: sex, marital status, occupation, age,length of residence in the Flint area, school district residence, number of children, number of children attending public schools, highest grade of school completed, number and dates of classes taken before the current enrollment, number of other classes in which enrolled, and length of time since voting in a school election. §i§g£_Question The first question on the instrument; "How good are the schools in your district?," was designed to ascer- tain the opinion of the respondent toward his local school district. In relation to subsequent questions, this item permitted the respondent to express his overall feelings about the operation of his school district as a whole. §Citizen O inion Form (Highland Park, Michigan: Highland ParE Boers of Education, 1964). (Multilithed.) 15 Second Question The second item; "In general, how well are schools educating children?," was include to determine the respondents evaluation of the school's primary function of education of children. The orientation of the question suggested to the respondent that he was to answer in terms of the schools in general, and not locally, as in the first and third items. Third Question "In general, how well are schools in your district educating children?," was a parallel question to the previous item. Its purpose was much the same, except that the respondent was to limit his reply to his local school district. M13. Question The fourth question; "In general, how“well are schools educating adults?," was a different parallel to the second item. In this instance the adult student was asked to evaluate the adult education function of the public school program. In a later section it will be noted that respondents tended to express their opinions in relation to the Flint Program, rather than to adult edu- cation as a whole. 16 21.15.21; Question The fifth item: "How well do you think school tax money is spent?," was included to give the adult student the chance to rate the public schools' ability to spend money in an appropriate manner. It was felt ’ that he would have an opportunity to relate the pattern of school expenditure to his willingness to support the public school program and related activities. Sixth Qgestion As in the preceding question, the sixth; "Do you.believe school taxes should be increased?," was crucial in ascertaining attitudes of adult students toward the public school program. This item.was designed to provoke the respondent to identify his personal willingness to support the public schools. Seventh Qgestion Question number seven; "In general, how do you feel about the cost of school buildings?," was designed to find the attitude of the respondent toward cost of school construction. In scaling this item, the response, ”about rightfl indicates general acceptance of school building costs. Higher or lesser responses indicated dissatisfaction with current costs; i.e. the respondent opined that greater or lesser amounts whould be spent for school buildings. l7 Eighth Question The purpose of the eighth question; "In general, do you feel that teachers do a good job?," was to deter- mine the attitude of the adult student toward teachers. It was assumed that the oreientation of the adult student would probably be toward his adult class instructor, but the question implies the: he was to reply to teachers in .‘ general. Ninth Question The final question in the opinion section; "Do you feel that the schools do a good job in communicating ‘with the public?," was designed to ascertain the reaction of the adult student to public information activities of the public schools. Adult students are regular targets of school communications, hence they may be expected validly to have formed an opinion in this regard. Operational Definitions Terms peculiar to this study were defined opera- tionally as follows: Participant A participant is an adult who was enrolled in the adult education program.during the Winter semester of 1967 in the Flint Community Schools. 18 Beginning A5131; Student A beginning adult student is an individual who was enrolled in an adult education class in the Flint program for the first time. The word, "beginner," is used synonomously with "beginning adult student." Repeatingégplg_8tudent A repeating adult student is an individual who was enrolled for at least one adult education class or activity prior to January 1, 1967. The word, "repeater," is used synonomously with "repeating adult student." Response A response was a completed questionnaire. Reply A reply was an answer to an individual item on the instrument. That is, one of the nine questions seeking opinions concerning the public school program. Positive Change A "positive change" in attitude was measured by favorable differences in reply on the pre-test and post- test items. "Favorable change," "upward change," "change in the desired direction," and"positive change" were interpreted as having the same meaning. 19 Negative Change A "negative change" was taken as an antonym for _positive change. We] 19 Procedure It was planned to distribute the questionnaires during the second week of classes. The first meeting of the fifteen-week classes was scheduled for January 1-13, 1967, while the classes of less than fifteen weeks held their initial meeting a week later. Students completed the forma,described earlier, during the first meeting of each class. After extracting the sample from the first inventory, the attitude survey would then be completed during the second meeting of classes. However, a massive snow storm caused cancellation of all classes, and so the questionnaires were mailed directly to the partici- 'pants in order to minimize delay. Each questionnaire was number for identification and was mailed, together with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, on February 4, 1967. There were 129 respondents among the beginning adult students and 123 among the repeating adult students. Post-test questionnaires were mailed on April 15, 1967. Two additional mailings followed at intervals 20 of one week to those who initially failed to respond. Seventy-seven per cent of the beginners, and 76 per cent of the repeaters responded to the post-test. Responses from the pre-test for which a post-test response was not received were discarded. The number of comparable respondents in each group was reduced, there- fore to 112 and 111, respectively. QMpEppgwpf_Analysis The responses to each question on the instrument were tabulated for each group on both pre-test and post- test. Tabulations were expressed in per cent. Question- naires then were classified by personal characteristics of respondents. These included: sex, marital status, occupation, age, length of residence in the Flint area, school district residence, number of children, number of children attending public schools, highest grade of school completed, number and dates of classes taken before the current enrollment, number of other classes in which enrolled, and length of time since voting in a school election. Classified responses were tabulated and reported in per cent . Chapge p§_Attitudes To determine changes in attitudes among the begin- ning and repeating groups, means from pre- and post-tests 21 were compared. The "t-test" was employed to determine differences among pre- and post-test means. Differences were deemed to be significant at the 0.05 level of con- fidence. This restriction leaves little to chance and is usual in studies of this kind. Characteristics p§_Adult Students Whose Attitudes Changed Students whose pre- and post-test attitude scores differed were examined. Their personal characteristics were determined from the fourteen item inventory. Authenticity‘p£,Change It seemed advisable to determine the authenti- city of attitude change, in view of the small number of students who changed their replies. The direction of change in pre- and post-test responses was observed for each group; in each case, it was observed that changes were in the positive direction. The probability that such change would occur by chance later was found to be infinitesimal. Influence p£_Personal Characteristics pp'Changes‘ip Attitude The questionnaire allowed the respondent to indicate a change in attitude on each and all of nine items, or a total of nine possible attitudinal changes. Two groups--beginning and repeating adult students--were examined. Therefore, eighteen different changes in atti- tude theoretically were possible. 22 The question examined was: To what extent, if any, are one or another of the fourteen personal charac- teristics significantly involved in an observed attitude change? To measure the effects of personal characteristics in attitude change, the following operations were employed: 1. The proportion of each characteristic in both groups was computed without regard to replies in the opinion section of the instument. 2. The proportion of each characteristic among those who changed their reply was computed. 3. A tabulation was made of those characteristics where the percentage of an individual characteristic among those who changed their reply exceeded the occurrence of that characteristic in the sample by ten per cent or greater. Those characteristics which are reported to be significant in attitude change were taken to be those which met the ten per cent criterion in nine of the eighteen possible cases, or at least half of the time. Characteristics pf_£hg_Respondents A cursory examination of the summary of all re- sponses revealed that there were some positive change in replies on each question both by beginners and repeaters. It was felt that greater differences might be discernable were the respondents to be grouped by personal charac- teristics. The number and per cent of respondents in 23 each group are listed by number and per cen in the following table by personal characteristic. TABLE l.--Characteristics of beginning and repeating adult students in number and per cent. Beginning—Student Repeating Student Characteristic* Number Per Cent Number Per Cent Sex Male 44 39.3 34 30.6 Female 68 60.7 77 69.4 Marital status Single 38 33.9 13 11.7 Married 68 60.7 88 79.3 Formerly married 6 5.4 10 9.0 Age Under 20 35 31.3 11 9.9 20-29 36 32.1 33 29.7 30-39 25 22.3 36 32.4 40-49 10 8.9 17 15.3 50 and over 6 5.4 14 12.6 Number of classes Taking l 86 76.8 73 65.8 Taking 2 or more 26 23.2 38 34.2 Length of classes 15 weeks 54 48.2 39 35.1 14 weeks or less 58 51.8 72' 64.9 Children in school Yes 35 31.3 46 41.4 No 77 68.7 65 58.6 Parent Yes 64 57.1 82 73.9 No 48 42.9 29 26.1 Type of class taking Vocational 37 33.0 26 23.4 Home skill 30 26.8 52 46.9 H. S. completion 29 25.9 16 14.4 Recreation 16 14.3 ' 17 15.3 24 TABLE l.--Continued. Beginnin Student Repeatin Student Characteristic Number Pe Pe r Cent Number r Cent Voting habits In .ast election 31 27.7 56 50.5 Before last election 5 4.5 18 16.2 Never voted 76 67.8 37 33.3 Lived in area Less than 1 year 16 14.3 6 5.4 6-15 years 27 24.1 25 - 22.5 Over 15 years 35 31.3 43 38.7 Education Some college 24 21.4 30 27.0 High school 41 36.3 44 39.6 Drop out 31 27.7 33 29.7 Student 16 14.3 4 3.6 Occupational class 1 and 2 18 16.1 22 19.8 3, 4, and 5 37 33.0 46 41.4 6 and 7 - 29 25.9 26 23.4 0 28 25.0 17 15.3 School district Flint 60 53.6 70 63.1 Outside Flint 52 46.4 41 36.9 Home ownership Own or buying home 56 50.0 82 74.0 Renting home 30 26.8 24 21.6 Not indicated 26 23.2 5 4.5 *Some columns do not total 100.0% due to rounding. Several of the characteristics of the respondents reported in Table l differ from those included on the instrument. For the most part, fewer categories are reported because the number of respondents falling in those categories was very small. Other differences oc- curred because an individual respondent failed to indicate 25 one of the given replies, or because a value judgment was made, as in the type of classes or the inclusion of an individual in one of the occupational classes. Below are descriptions providing details of those cate- gories which were not self-explanatory. Formerly Married Those individuals who reported that they had been divorced, separated, or widowed were included in the single classification of formerly married. Type p£,Class The type of class category was divided into four classifications: vocational, home skill, high school completion, and recreation. A value judgment was made as to the type of class in which each adult student was enrolled. Factors considered in making this judgment were: name of class (taken from the initial form all adult students completed), class descriptions from the catalogue published in Thp_§lipp Journals, educational level and occupation of the respondent. Individual respon- dents were included in discrete classifications, even though some of the names of classes were listed in more than one classification. The names of the classes which 5The Flint Journal, December 30, 1966. 26 were included under each of the classifications are reported be low. Vocationa1.-Fa1ternating current fundamentals, algebra, architectural drawing, blue print reading, book- keeping, business mathematics, carburetion, civil service training, data processing introduction, drafting, elec- tricity, engineering illustration, English, fiber glass and plastics, physics, power mechanics, retail sales, shop mathematics, shorthand, small engine repair, spelling, switchboard receptionist, trigonometry, typing, vacuum tube fundamentals. Hpge_gkill.--alterations, antique finishing, cake decorating, candlemaking, chair seats, clothing construction, crocheting, dog obedience, flower arranging, fly tying, furniture making, gift wrapping, hat making, home machine shop, house construction, interior decorating, kitchen cabinets, knitting, outboard motor repair, party foods, party pies, poodle grooming, recreation room cons- truction, sewing, small appliance repair, small engine repair, tailoring, upholstering. ,High_school completion.--algebra, biology, blue print reading, business mathematics, conservation, econo- mics, English, history, physics, reading, shop mathematics, shorthand,typing. Recreation.--art, bridge, civics, current events for the deaf, dancing, French, German, great books, painting, 27 photography, physical fitness, piano, scuba diving, Spanish, square dancing. Drop Out Drop out was the name given to the classifica- tion under the education category referring to those respondents who did not complete high school and were no longer enrolled in a public school program. Student The student classification was given to those respondents who had not completed their schooling and who did not report another occupation. Occupational 21533 The classification of occupations in this study was made using the scale suggested by warmer, Mbeker, and Eells6. Some of the classifications were grouped together due to the small numbers of respondents so classified. £129; _1_ _a_n_<_1_ _2_. This classification included the following occupations: appraiser, assistant profes- sor, business manager, chemist, engineering assistant, 5W. L. Warner, Marcia Meeker, and Kenneth Eells, "Occupational Composition of Social Classes," Man, Work and Societ , ed. Sigmund NOSOW’and William H. PEPm New Yafk: BasIc Books, Inc., 1962), pp. 273-77. 28 perodontist, physician, realtor, sales executive, and sales representative. £1_a_s_s_ 3, 4, 9251 _5_. The occupations reported by the respondents which were included within this classi- fication were: bricklayer, clerk, elementary teacher, elevator and crane repairman, dietary helper, draftsman, farmer, food service manager, foreman, inspector, insurance adjuster, insurance clerk, machine repaireman, mechanic, medical therapist, night foreman, office trainee, pipe fitter, playground supervisor, railroad storekeeper, receptionist, reporter, salaried, salesman, secretary, security guard, senior clerk, sewing machine repair and salesman, stationery clerk, supervisor, timekeeper, tool and die maker, tool and die maker apprentice, tool grinder, U. S. Navy chief petty officer. Q.1_aS_8_ _6_ Egg 1. This classification included the occupations: baby-sitter, blacksmith, boiler fireman, boxing mill operator, factory production, factory worker, general farm worker, housekeeper, laborer, maid, main- tenance worker, millwright, spotweld and press operator, stock attendant, stockman, and tool sharpener. Ql§§§.Q, Class 0 was assigned to those persons who did not report their occupation, to housewives who did not report their husband's occupation, and to students. 29 __i_cl Np}; Indicate This was the classification given to the respon- dents in the category of home ownership who did not indicate one of the given replies, who stated that they were living with parents, or who were visitors to the Flint area. CHAPTER III CHANGES IN ATTITUDES To what extent, if any, does the adult education program of the Flint Community Schools promote changes in attitudes of its participants toward the public schools? The answer, in short, to this question is: very little. An analysis of the replies to the pre- and post-test, when grouped together--as well as in the various socio- demographic categories--revea1ed that changes were posi- tive when they occurred, but extremely limited. Analysis'g£,Replies Grouped data were examined; mean scores were calculated for beginning and repeating students. This examination revealed that the mean reply for each question on the instrument among both the beginning and repeating adult students underwent small changes. The "t-test" was used to determine differences among means. The formula1 used for this purpose was: Mpost ‘ Mpre d n(n - I) 1E. r. Lindquist, Statistical Anal sis in Educational Research (Cambridge: The RiversIde Press, I94077'p. . 30 t- 31 It was found that the changes in replies for the beginner's group was significant at the 0.05 level on questions two, five, six, seven, and eight. The t-scores on these questions were 2.10, 3.11, 2.99, 1.96, and 2.26, respectively. For the repeating adult students, significance at this level was found only on questions five and seven. The t-scores on these questions were 2.54 and 2.60, respectively. Thus, it is evident that the changes in attitudes among both groups--a1though perceptable--were very small. In Table 2 it is illustrated that the differences were significant at an acceptable level on only seven of the eighteen possible cases. TABLE 2.--Significance at the 0.05 level on changed replies between the pre-test and the post-test. Group Question Beginners Repeaters 1 No No 2 Yes No 3 No No 4 No No 5 Yes Yes 6 Yes No 7 Yes Yes 8 Yes No 9 No No Number Who Changed The number of respondents who checked different replies on the post-test than on the pre-test, as 32 might be expected, was relatively small. In the following table the total number of such changes are summarized. TABLE 3.--Number of respondents changing replies between the pre-test and post-test. Question Group Beginners Repeaters l 11 13 2 18 18 3 17 16 4 22 15 5 37 27 6 29 22 7 26 25 8 26 15 9 15 14 It is interesting to note that ten per cent of the respondents in each group changed their replies on - each question between the pre- and post-test. Direction.pf_Changed Replies The direction in which the respondents changed replies was as important as the number who changed. Three types of changed replies were observed: (a) posi- tive, (b) negative, and (c) from no reply on an item to some reply. In Table 4 is summarized the direction of all changed replies. Examination of this table re-emphasizes that the number of respondents who changed reply on an individual question was small in proportion to the total number of respondents. The largest entry in this table, thirty, 33 represents only 27.7% of all of the respondents in that category. TABLE 4.--Direction of changed replies on each question of the beginning and former adult students. Positive Change Negative Change From No Reply Question i 1 i Beg n- Beg n- Beg n- ners Former ners Former ners Former 1 7 8 0 l 4 4 2 15 11 1 3 2 4 3 10 8 0 2 7 6 4 l7 l3 2 0 3 2 5 3O 21 l 2 6 4 6 24 15 0 2 5 5 7 18 21 2 l 6 3 8 20 12 2 0 4 3 9 12 11 0 l 3 2 An examination of Table 4 also reveals, that when the direction of such changes is taken into account, the proportions are even smaller. Further observation indicates that of the three types of changed replies, the smallest number of changes were in the negative direction. Summary p£.All Replies In Tables 5 through 13 the summaries of all replies to each question are exhibited. These tables are arranged to show the per cent of the respondents who gave each reply on pre- as well as post-test. The same information is reported for beginning and repeating students. In addition, the per cent of each group who did not check one of the replies is reported. 34 More than fifty per cent of each group on both tests checked a reply above average (excellent or good) with few exceptions. On the third question, "In general, how well are schools in your district educating children?," the pre-test replies of the beginning students that were above average was 44.6% of that group. On question five, "How well do you think school tax money is spent?," 39.3% of the beginners on the pre-test, 38.7% of the repeaters on the post-test, and 46.8% of the repeaters on the post- test replied "above average." In the following tables, the code used to indi- cate the replies is: 5 - Excellent; 4 - Good; 3 - Average; 2 - Poor; 1 - Very Poor; and 0 - No Reply. TABLE 5.--Summary of replies to the question: "HOW'gOOd are the schools in your district?" Respondents* 5 4 3 2 1 0 Beginners Pre-test 15.2 41.1 36.6 1.8 0.0 5.4 Post-test 18.8 42.9 34.8 1.8 0.0 1.8 Repeaters Pre-test 21.6 45.0 19.8 7.2 0.0 6.3 Post-test‘ 23.4 44.1 25.2 4.5 0.0 2.7 All Students Pre-test 18.4 43.0 28.3 4.5 0.0 5.8 Post-test 21.1 43.5 30.0 3.1 0.0 2.2 *Totals may differ from.100% due to rounding. 35 TABLE 6.--Summary of replies to the question: "In general, how well are schools educating children?" Respondents* 5 4 3 2 1 0 Beginners Pre-test 9.8 44.6 37.5 3.6 0.0 4.5 Post-test 15.2 47.3 33.0 1.8 0.0 2.7 Repeaters Pre-test 9.9 40.5 36.9 6.3 0.0 6.3 Post-test 12.6 40.5 42.3 1.8 0.0 2.7 All Students Pre'tESE 908 4206 3702 409 0.0 504 Post-test 13.9 43.9 37.7 1.8 0.0 2.7 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. TABLE 7.--Summary of replies to the question: "In general, howwwell are schools in your district educating children?" Respondents* 5 4 3 2 1 0 Beginners Pre-test 10.7 33.9 46.4 2.7 0.0 6.3 Post-test 14.3 37.5 47.3 0.9 0.0 0.0 Repeaters Pre-test 15.3 35.1 36.0 2.7 0.9 9.9 Post-test 18.0 36.0 40.5 0.9 0.0 4.5 All Students Pre-test 13.0 34.5 41.3 2.7 0.4 8.1 Post-test 16.1 36.8 43.9 0.9 0.0 2.2 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. TABLE 8.--Summary of replies to the question: how~we11 are schools educating adults?” 36 "In general, Respondents* 5 4 3 2 l 0 Beginners Pre-test 33.0 40.2 14.3 6.3 0.9 5.4 Post-test 39.3 42.0 10.7 3.6 1.8 2.7 Repeaters Pre-test 37.8 33.3 16.2 7.2 1.8 3.6 Post-test 40.5 36.9 17.1 2.7 0.9 1.8 All Students Pre-test 35.4 36.8 15.2 6.7 1.3 4.5 Post-test 40.0 39.5 13.9 3.1 1.3 2.2 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. TABLE 9.--Summary of replies to the question: "How well do you think school tax money is spent?" Respondents* 5 4 3 2 1 0 Beginners Pre-test 14.3 25.0 33.9 17.0 0,0 9.8 Post-test 22.3 31.3 32.1 9.8 0.0 4.5 Repeaters Pre-test 10.8 27.9 34.2 14.4 3.6 9.0 Post-test 14.4 32.4 38.7 7.2 1.8 5.4 All Students Pre-test 12.6 26.5 34.1 15.7 1.8 9.4 Post-test 18.4 31.8 35.4 8.5 0.9 4.9 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. TABLE 10.--Summary of replies to the question: "Do you believe school taxes should be increased?" Respondents* Raise figézf Remain Lower Lower No a lot what same what a lot Reply Beginners Pre-test 7.1 39.3 38.4 2.7 3.6 8.9 Post-test 10.7 50.9 30.4 1.8 1.8 4.5 Repeaters Pre-test 9.0 30.6 46.8 3.6 1.8 8.1 Post-test 10.8 36.0 47.7 0.9 0.9 3.6 All Students Pre-test 8.1 35.0 42.6 3.1 2.7 8.5 Post-test 10.8 43.5 39.0 1.3 1.3 4.0 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. TABLE 11.--Summary of replies to the question: how do you feel about the cost of school buildings?" Much Some- Some- Much Respondents* too what 232:: what too rggly cheap cheap costly costly Beginners Pre-test 2.7 16.1 47.3 17.0 8.0 8.9 Post-test 3.6 17.0 60.7 8.9 6.3 3.6 Repeaters Pre-test 2.7 7.2 43.2 26.1 13.5 7.2 Post-test 1.8 9.9 57.7 17.1 9.0 4.5 All Students Pre-test 2.7 11.7 45.3 21.5 10.8 8.1 Post-test 2.7 13.5 59.2 13.0 7.6 4.0 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. "In general, TABLE 12.--Summary of replies to the question: do you feel teachers do a good job?" "In general, Respondents* 5 4 3 2 0 Beginners Pre-test 20.5 47.3 23.2 2.7 0.9 5.4 Post-test 26.8 50.9 18.8 1.8 0.0 1.8 Repeaters Pre-test 22.5 41.4 21.6 6.3 2.7 5.4 Post-test 25.2 45.9 21.6 2.7 l 8 2.7 All Students Pre-test 21.5 44.4 22.4 4.5 l 8 5.5 Post-test 26.0 48.4 20.2 2.2 0.9 2.2 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. TABLE 13.--Summary of replies to the question: "Do you feel that the schools do a good job in communicating ‘with the public?" ‘— _— Respondents* 5 4 3 2 0 Beginners Pre-test 15.2 39.3 24.1 14.3 3.6 3.6 Post-test 16.1 40.2 32.1 8.0 2.7 0.9 Repeaters Pre-test 10.9 30.6 29.7 21.6 4 5 2.7 Post-test 9.9 31.5 39.6 15.3 2 7 0.9 .All Students Pre-test 13.0 35.0 36.9 17.9 4.0 3.1 Post-test 13.0 35.9 35.9 11.7 2.7 0.9 *Totals may differ from 100% due to rounding. 39 On question number six, "Do you believe school taxes should be increased?," 46.4% of the beginning adult students and 39.6% of the repeating adult students on the pre-test answered with above average replies, while 46.8% of the repeating adult students did so on the post-test. On the ninth question, "Do you feel that the schools do a good job in communicating with the public?," the re- peating adult students checked above average replies on both the pre- and post-tests. In both instances they did so in 41.4% of the possible cases. The replies on the seventh question were different. This question, "In general, how do you feel about the cost of school buildings?," was the only item on the instru- ment that neither group on either pre- or post-test had checked positive replies more than fifty per cent of the time. These per cents were: beginners pre-test, 18.8%; beginners post-test, 20.6%; repeaters pre-test, 9.9%; and repeaters post-test, 11.7%. These were the smallest per cent of above average replies on any item on the instrument. In addition, the largest per cent of negative replies on any item also occurred on this question. This suggests_that the respondents were less pleased with the cost of school construction than any other aspect of the public schools. 40 In this chapter it was shown that the adult education program of the Flint Community Schools promotes little or no change in attitudes toward the public schools. However, where changes in attitudes were observed, they were almost consistently in the positive direction. That is, small positive changes in attitudes toward the public schools were in evidence. CHAPTER IV ADULT STUDENTS WHO CHANGED Which adult students changed their attitudes? To answer this question the pre- and post-test question- naires for each respondent were examined to determine the characteristics of those who changed replies. As stated previously, three types of changed replies were observed. These were: (a) positive, (b) negative, and (c) from no reply on an item to one of the replies given on the questionnaire. Without regard to the type of changed replies, the most noteworthy characteristics among those who changed were: Females, married persons, aged 20-29, taking two or more classes, classes of fifteen weeks lenth, no children in school, taking a vocational class, living in the area 1-5 years, having a high school education, and belonging to the middle occupational class. Characteristics by Type 9_f_ Changed Reply Positive change. The characteristics of those who changed their replies in a positive direction were: 41 42 Age 20-29, taking two or more classes, classes of fifteen weeks length, taking a vocational or high school completion class, living in the area 1-5 years, high school education, lower occupational class, Flint resident, and home owner. Negative change. There were only two characteris- tics deemed to be important among those who changed in a negative direction. These were: taking one class, and taking a class of fourteen weeks or less. Egg; pg giggly. Only one characteristic was found to be important for those adult students who changed from no reply on an individual item to some reply. This trait was: having no children in school. In the preceding chapter, it was shown that only a few respondents changed their replies. These changes were examined in order to determine the characteristics of those who changed their replies. Certain traits of these respondents were identifiable as being important. Certain patterns of characteristics persisted when different kinds of changes were examined: when all changes were considered; when only positive changes were considered; when only negative changes were heeded; and when only changes from no reply were taken into account. Each of these are examined in the pages that follow; 43 Characteristics p£_Thp§g,Whp_Changed Replies At first, the direction of the change of reply was not considered. That is, the questionnaires of those who changed their replies were examined to discover the nature of the respondents changing. The number of res- pondents by characteristics who changed their reply was compared to the total number of changed replies on each question. These ratios were expressed in per cent. A comparison was made between the per cent and the proportion of that characteristic in the sample. It was postulated that if the per cent of changes by characteristic were ten per cent greater than the proportion of that charac- teristic in the sample, and if this ten per cent figure were reached at least nine out of the possible times in both groups, then that characteristic was important.1 The ten per cent figure was chosen due to the small number of respondents who changed. The number of times each characteristic met the ten per cent criterion is reported in Table 14. 1Twelve or more respondents would have had to change their replies in more than half of the cases where such a change was possible. An occurence of such changes in nine out of eighteen possible cases is difficult to charge to chance. The relatively small number of charac- teristics reported as being important tends to justify these criteria. This is more emphatic when changes are identified by type. 44 TABLE 14.--Frequency with which changes by characteristic werelten per cent greater that their occurrence in the samp e. Characteristic Beginners Repeaters Male Female Single Married ‘Age 20-29 Taking 1 class Taking 2 or more classes Length 15 weeks Length 14 weeks or less No child in school Parent Not a parent Vocational type H. S. completion type Voted in last election Never voted Lived in area 1-5 years Livedin area over 15 years High school education Drop out Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 Occ. class 6 and 7 Occ. class 0 Flint resident Live outside Flint Home owner Renter ON 04> ONO‘ UU‘ N-F 091-“ H9 CC 0‘ H45 N!" on (DO \10 l-‘N l-‘N bib-F NU! ON 030 (AU! UIH U 00‘ NO \I OOH NH 45 An inspection of Table 14 reveals that the charac- teristics which satisfy the criteria are: Females, married persons, aged 20-29, taking two or more classes, classes of fifteen weeks length, no children in school, taking a vocational class, living in the area 1-5 years, having a high school education, and belonging to the middle occupational class. These characteristics of the respondents were taken to be the ones which were important in change. The relative persistence of these patters of change among the several traits on the instrument allows some degree of confidence in identifying the likelihood of change in attitude between the pre-test and post-test reply. One might call these characteristics the change matrix. Tabular data supporting this contention are reported in the appendix. The three types of changed replies were also examined. 223935 Whp Changed i3 §_h_e_ Positive Direction In order to determine the characteristics of those who changed in a positive direction, the same technique was employed as in the preceding section. The number of times an individual characteristic met the ten per cent criterion is reported in Table 15. The format of Tables 14 and 15 is identical. 46 TABLE 15.--Frequency with which changes among positive changes in reply were ten per cent greater than the occurrence of the characteristic in the sample. Characteristic Beginners Repeaters Male Female Single Formerly married Married Age under 20 Age 20-29 Age 30-39 Taking 1 class Taking 2 or more classes Length 15 weeks No child in school Parent Not a parent Vocational type H. S. completion type VOted in last election Voter previously Never voted Lived in area less than 1 year Lived in area 1-5 years Lived in area 6-15 years Lived in area over 15 years High school education Drop out Student Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 Occ. class 6 and 7 Occ. class 0 Flint resident Live outside Flint Home owner Renter Home ownership not indicated CON OO‘ OU‘UI H-l-‘G NO-l-‘O NON (34> CO (A) U! bid coco \000 GO l-‘Nw I-‘w l-‘Uhp 0ND OHNW «L‘I-‘O O‘N UH" U! (D \lo WVN bl—‘F‘ NH 47 One should notice that the characteristics reported for those individuals who changed their reply in a positive direction were nearly the same as those reported for any kind of change. This is due to the extremely small number of changes of any other kind observed. That is, positive changes in reply were by far more frequent than negative changes in reply and changes from no reply to one of those on the instrument. Those Who Changed $3 the Negative Direction When examining the characteristics of those respon- dents who changed their reply in a negative direction between the pre- and post-test a somewhat different set of criteria were utilized. This was necessitated by the extremely small numbers of respondents who changed their replies in the negative direction. There were not more than two such changes among the beginning adult students on any item. Among the former adult students this number did not exceed three. The replies are reported in the following two tables: one for the beginning adult students and one for the repeating adult students. In each case the replies are reported by characteristic of the respon- dents. Only those questions upon which a negative change in reply was observed are reported. 48 TABLE l6.--Characteristics of beginning adult students who changed their replies downward on those questions where such a change occurred. Number of Question Characteristic 2 4 5 7 Male Female Single Married Age Under 20 20-29 30-39 40-49 Taking 1 class en: FWD HH HH HO NO NO NO Length 14 weeks Children in school No child in school Parent Not a parent Vbcational type Home skill type Recreational type Voted in last election Never voted HO OHO OH HO H H 0000 HH HHO NO NO N N HOOH OH OHO OH OH H H OHNO NO OON HH NO N N OONO Lived in area 1-5 years 6-15 years High school education Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 Flint resident Live outside Flint Home owner Did not indicate OH HO H H HO HH NO N N HH OH HO H H OH ON ON N N ON NO NO NO OON ON NO N N OONO ON ON N N ON 49 TABLE l7.--Characteristics of repeating adult students who changed their replies downward on those questions where such a change occurred. Characteristic Number of Question 5 6 Male Female Single Married Age Under 20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 and over em: FWD P‘ ids: rare as rec: rare to Hus NHD HH‘ NHD Hm: reC> so Taking 1 class 2 or more classes Len th 15 weeks 1 weeks or less Children in school No child in school Parent Not a parent Home skill type Recreation type ruc> <3c> rec: rec: :3 rd CHDrHCHO ldhé rib) rah: revived Io HHerCHO t‘ha can: (on: hoc> c: to CHOrdHMD 1‘53 can: F‘H‘ hac> c: to CHDPJHWD NO NO NO NO 0 N OOHOH‘ cud cud cud cud C) F‘ roan: CHDhJ Lived in area 1-5 years 6-15 years . Over 15 years rec”: HWOCD cups: Chara caeud rec“: Education Some college 1 High school 0 Drop out 0 HHth cnare Huac> caeud CDHWD OH OH HO HO O H OOOHO HO HO \O OOH OOH OHO 50 TABLE 17.--Continued. Characteristic Number of Question 1 2 3 5 6 7 9 Occ. class A 1 and 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3, 4, and 5 1 l 2 0 2 l 0 6 and 7 0 l 0 2 0 0 1 Flint resident 0 2 1 0 1 0 1 Live outside Flint l l 1 2 1 l 0 Home owner 1 1 l 0 1 l 0 Renter l 1 2 l 0 1 1 Did not indicate 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 The important characteristics in a negative change in reply were taken to be those which occurred at least fifteen out of a possible twenty times, or seventy-five per cent of the time.2 The characteristics with at least a seventy-five per cent frequency were: female (17), married (15), taking one class (19), length fourteen weeks or less (18), and middle occupational class (15). The numerals in the parentheses following the character- istics are the frequencies with which these characteristics occurred. 2Establishment of the seventy-five per cent figure for the purpose of determining the important traits among the negative changers and those who changed from no reply is defensible due to the fact that the individual frequency would be three to one for that characteristic, and difficult to attribute to chance alone. 51 MEJ—ChaHEdMEEEM In Tables 18 and 19 are summarized the traits of those who changed from no reply on an individual item on the pre—test to one of the replies on the post-test. The seventy-five per cent criterion was again used among those who changed from.no reply as in the preceding section. Since there were seventy-three possibilities in this type, a total of fifty-five would have to be achieved before the characteristic was deemed to be an important one. These characteristics were female (60), married (58), and having no children in school (64). Again, the numbers in parentheses indicated the number of such changed replies. TABLE 18.--Characteristics of the beginning adult students who changed their reply from not replying to checking one of the given replies. Characteristic Number of Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ‘Male 1 O l 0 l l l 0 0 Female 3 2 6 3 5 4 5 4 3 Single 0 0 2 0 1 l 2 1 0 Formerly married 1 0 l 0 O 1 O 0 2 Married 3 2 4 3 5 3 4 3 1 Age Under 20 0 l l 1 l O l l 1 20-29 2 1 4 1 4 3 4 1 0 30-39 0 0 0 1 O 1 1 l 1 40-49 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 50 and over 1 O 2 0 0 0 O l 0 Taking 1 class 4 2 7 3 6 5 5 4 2 Taking 2 or more 0 0 0 0 0 0 l 0 l TABLE 18.--Continued. 52 Characteristic H N Number of Question 4 5 6 7 co \0 Length 15 weeks Fourteen weeks or less Children in school No child in school .Parent Not a parent Type . Vocational Home skill H.S. completion Recreation Voted in last election Voted previously Never voted Lived in area Less than 1 year 1-5 years 6-15 years Over 15 years Education Some college High school Drop out Student Occupational class 1 and 2 3, 4, and 5 3 and 7 Flint resident Live outside Flint Home owner Renter Did not indicate WHO OOHDJ NN bO NN OONN OHNH OOH NN OHWO NOO OHOH HH NO ON OOHH OHHO ONO HH HOHO U'IHH OHN-D bu) NO Mb w WOHU OHLOW NNH) up NO-L‘H WOO OHON HN HN HN OONH OHNO ONH HN ONHO who O‘O Nb NOwH bHH OHNw ONUH NHUO HUI NNHH #OH OOHb NU UIO ON HowH OOUN NNH NU) HHNH L‘N O‘O Nk HHHU OOO NNHH OU’NH N-lZ-‘O Nfi NHNH POO O'~HNH NN J-‘O NN NOHH HHNO HUDO NN HHNO WOO OHHH HN UGO NH OOHN HHHO NHO NH HHHO 53 TABLE 19.--Characteristics of former adult students who changed their reply from not replying to checking one of the given replies. stion 7 e Characteristic H O Qu Male Female Single Married Age 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 and over DO «#0 H #0 OH N OH me2 NO NO no so NN UIl'h 9H bHOm NH NH LOO NH co Taking 1 class 2 or more classes Length 15 weeks 14 weeks or less Children in school No child in school Parent Not a parent T e yVocational Home skill H.S. completion Recreational Voted in last election Voted previously Never voted Lived in area Less than 1 year 1-5 years 6-15 years Over 15 years Education Some college High school Drop out HON OOUJH NN OH OH OH NOHH NON OHNH NN OH NN NN HOON NOO: HOUON Nb LnH J-‘N woo OHH4> HOH HOHO ON HH NO ON OOHH HOD.) uOOH HO: OH OH OH HONH HHu HONN Nb.) mO ON ON NHON HON OHHH HN NO NH NH OHHH NOH OOHN HN NH HN HN OHON Hwo OHNH HOH OOOH NWO HHWH HHO OONO HwO ONHH wNO HONN NHO OHHH Ouo oouo HOHOOHH HH HH HH HH OHOH NO HH\D HHO OOHH 54 TABLE 19.--Continued. Characteristic Number of Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Occupational class 1 and 2 1 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3, 4, and 5 2 4 4 0 2 3 2 2 l 6 and 7 0 0 1 l 2 2 1 l 0 0 l 0 l 1 0 0 0 0 1 Flint resident 2 4 5 1 3 5 3 3 2 Live outside Flint 2 0 l 1 l 0 0 0 0 Own home 3 3 5 l 3 3 2 2 1 Renter l l 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 Summary‘pf Changed Replies The characteristics which were found to be impor- tant among those respondents who changed their replies in a positive direction were: Married, aged 20-29, taking two or more classes, length fifteen weeks, vocational and high school completion type of classes, lived in area 1-5 years, high school education, middle and lower occupational classes, Flint resident, and home owner. Among those who changed their replies in a nega- tive direction, the important characteristics were found to be: Female, married, taking one class, length fourteen weeks or less, and middle occupational class; while among those who changed from no reply the important ones were female, married, and having no children in school. 55 It was observed that some of the characteristics occurred in more than one of these lists. It was decided to revise them by eliminating those traits which were repeated, in order to arrive at the most critical traits of those who changed their replies in a given direction. Notable Characteristics p£_zhp§g_flhp Changed The revised list of traits which were found to be worthy of note among those respondents who changed their replies were tabulated. This was done by elimi- nating those traits reported in more than one type of change. Positive change. The characteristics of those who changed their replies in a positive direction were: Aged 20-29, taking two ore more classes, length of class fifteen weeks, taking a vocational or high school completion class, lived in area 1-5 years, high school education, lower occupational class, Flint resident, and home owner. Negative change. There were only two charac- teristics deemed to be important among those who changed their replies in a negative direction. These were: Taking one class, and length of class fourteen weeks or less. 2302 m FEE-1° Only one characteristic remained for those adult students who changed from no reply to 56 one of the replies on the instrument which was felt to be notable. This trait was: having no children in school. Relationships Between 222 Characteristics 13 Change Several relationships might be noted in these lists of characteristics. Younger participants who had a fairly intense involvement in the adult education program, that might be characterised as upwardly mobile were found more often to be among those who changed their reply, on the other hand, those with a minimum amount of invol- vement in the adult education program were more frequent among those who underwent negative changes in reply. These two items, therefore, appear to be somewhat anti- thetical with respect to changes of reply between the pre- and post-test. The only characteristic reported as being impor- tant in a change from.no reply to one of the given replies was that of having no children in school. The benefits of schools were probably made more evident to these persons through their participation. CHAPTER V AUTHENTICITY OF REPORTED CHANGES In previous chapters it was shown that a very small number of respondents changed their replies between the pre- and post-tests, and that for the most part, these changes were in the positive direction. An attempt was also made to determine the most noteworthy traits of those respondents who changed their replies in a given direction. However, the analysis of the differences among means and the discussion of the traits of the res- pondents who changed their replies only assure that the premise that change occurred cannot be rejected. That is, the analysis does not prove that the participation in an adult education program promotes favorable attitudes among participants toward the public schools; it only demonstrates that the premise cannot be rejected. When the number of respondents who changed their replies between the tests was so small, how can there be a relative degree of certainty that the change was authentic? Pattern.p£_Change It was decided to compare the changes of reply on each question by direction of change. If participation 57 58 in an adult education program did not promote a positive change in attitude among its participants toward the public schools, then one would logically expect to find about the same number of positive as negative changes in replies. In fact, if the respondents who did not change their reply, and those who changed from.no reply are eliminated from consideration, the smallest ratio of positive changes to negative changes in reply is greater than three to one. In Table 20 the number of upward and downward changes in reply on each question by both groups is summarized. TABLE 20.--Positive and negative changes in replies on each question by group. Question Beginners Repeaters Positive Negative Positive Negative 1 7 0 8 l 2 15 1 ll 3 3 10 0 8 2 4 17 2 13 0 5 30 l 21 2 6 24 0 15 2 7 18 2 21 l 8 20 2 12 0 9 12 0 11 1 An examination of this table reveals that when only those who changed their replies in a positive or negative direction are considered, that such changes are constantly in favor of the positive changes at a ratio greater than three to one on all of the possible eighteen situations. It was decided to calculate the 59 probability of this pattern emerging out of all possible patterns to see if this outcome could have occurred by chance. Probability p£.0bserved Pattern The probability of the occurrence of the observed pattern is the ratio of the observed outcome to the total number of possible outcomes.1 One pattern was observed: the changes in reply favored the positive changes in all eighteen situations. To compute the probability of the emergence of this pattern it was necessary to calculate the total number of possible patterns. The sample space is indicated below using the code: 1BP - question one, beginners, positive change; 9RN - question nine, repeaters, negative change. 13? ZBP 3BP 4BP SBP 6BP 7BP 8BP 9BP lRP 2RP 3RP 4RP 5RP 6RP 7RP 8RP 9RP IBP ZBP 3BP 4BP SBP 6BP 7BP 8BP 9BP lRP 2RP 3RP 4RP 5RP 6R.P 7RP 8RP 9RN lBP ZBP 3BP 4BP SBP 6BP 7BP BBP 9BP lRP 2RP 3RP 4RP 5RP 6RP 7RP 8RN 9RP lBN 2BN 3BN 4BN SBN 6BN 7BN 8BN 9BN lRN 2RN 3RN 4RN SRN 6RN 7RN 8RN 9RN If one had the patience to complete this list, he would discover that there were 262,144 possible lWilliamFeller, ép_Introduction 59 Probability Theor and Its A lications, Vol. I. (2nd ed.; New York: John WiIey and Sons, Inc., 1957), pp. 19-20. 60 outcomes. The computation of this number was as follows: Each question had two possible outcomes--favoring a posi- tive change or a negative change; there were two groups of nine questions--one for the beginning and one for the former adult students; raising two, the number of possible outcomes on one question, to the eighteenth power, the number of questions in both groups, the number of combi- nations 218 or 262,144 is obtained. On the preceding page a few of the possible out- comes were listed. The first of these was the one which ‘was observed. That is, there was one observed outcome out of a possible 262,144. The probability of this one outcome occurring purely by chance is 1/262,l44 or 0.0000038. The odds against this event happening by chance are 262,143 to 1, better than a quarter of a million to one. These figures suggest that the observed outcome could have happened by chance, although this would be only somewhat short of the miraculous. Therefore, the idea that participation in an adult education program did not promote favorable attitudes among a limited number of participants toward the public schools must be rejected. The alternative is that such participation did promote favorable attitudes toward the public schools. Further credence is offered to this alternative by the fact that the changes in reply in favor of the positive direction were more than three to one more frequent 61 than the negative changes on all of the instances where such a change was possible. Identification 9_f_ 11192 m Changed The criteria used to identify the adult students who changed their replies were different for the three types of changed replies noted. The most stringent cri- teria were used to identify the characteristics of those adult students who changed their replies in a positive direction. In the case of the upward changers, the characteristic had to occur at least ten per cent more frequently than the ratio of that characteristic in the sample, and the ten per cent figure had to be reached on at least half of the possible.cases before that trait was reported as being noteworthy. A further refinement deleted those characteristics which were also listed as being important in either of the other two types of changes. This left only ten characteristics which were held to be important in a positive change of reply. Due to the smaller number of changes in reply in a negative direction and in a change from no reply, less exacting restrictions were imposed. Yet only two characteristics were listed as being worthy of note in the former case, and one in the latter. There were forty-two classifications listed under the different categories used to identify the characteristics of the respondents. 0f the forty-two classifications, it 62 seems unreasonable to assume that more than twenty of them could possibly be reported as being important. This is due to the fact that not more than one or two classi- fications could have been noted in each of the categories. Using the figure of twenty possible classifications, it is evident that the characteristics attributed to those who changed their replies in a positive direction reached fifty per cent of the possibilities. Among those who underwent negative change, only ten per cent of the possible characteristics were noted, and five per cent were noted among those who changed from no reply. The care exercised in identifying the traits of the respondents who changed their replies leaves little doubt that these were the important ones in the sample. Only by replicating the research could one achieve more confidence. Summagy Although a tiny number of participants in the adult education program changed their reply between the pre- and post-tests, these changes were consistently in the positive direction. This means that the impact of the Flint program of adult education, while small, does promote favorable attitudes toward the public schools. The identification of the characteristics which were important in attitude change reported in Chapter IV 63 proceeds from a set of criteria which was quite exacting. That these criteria were met in both groups lends con- fidence that selection factors were controlled. CHAPTER VI PREDICTIONS The preceding chapters were concerned with dis- covering if there were changes in attitudes of participants in adult education toward the public schools, if it could be determined which adult students changed their attitudes, and if the changes were authentic. Can a prediction be made as to who among these adult students would be most likely to change their attitudes? M 9_f_ E Summary o_f_ Questionnaires When the summary of the questionnaires was examined in Chapter III, it was discovered that the number of adult students who changed their replies was quite small in relation to the total number of adult students in the sample. The range of the number of changes on all of the questions on the instrument fell between ten and thirty- three per cent of all of the respondents. If one were to make a prediction on the basis of the replies from the respondents, it would be that very few participants are likely to change their attitudes toward the public schools. 64 65 The mean number of changes in reply from the beginners group was 22.3, while the mean number of changes in reply for the group of former adult students was 18.3. The mean number of changes in reply for all of the participants was 20.3. These means represent 19.9%, 16.5%, and 18.2% of these groups, respectively. Based upon the sample, it seems safe to predict that about 18% of all of the participants in an adult education program.may be expected to change their attitudes toward the public schools. This does not take into account the direction of the change in attitude. Positive Changes ip_Attitude There was a range from seven to thirty changes in reply on each of the questions on the instrument among the beginning adult students in the positive direction. The mean number of changes per question for this group was 17.0. The corresponding numbers for the former adult students was from eight to twenty-one with the mean of the upward changes 13.3. The mean number of upward changes for both groups was 15.1. Stated in per cent, these means are 15.2% for the beginners, 12.0% for the former adult students, and 13.1% for all the adult students in the sample. Thus, about 13%, or one in eight adult students might be expected to have more favorable attitudes toward the public schools after participating in an adult education program. 66 Negative Changes iE_Attitude The range of the number of negative changes in reply per question was from none to two among the beginning group. The mean number of negative changes of reply on all of the questions among the beginners was 0.9. The corresponding numbers among the former adult students was none to three with a mean of 1.3. The mean of the composite group for the number of negative changes in reply was 1.1. This represents 0.99% of all of the responses. One may predict on the basis of the sample, that less than 1% of the participants in an adult educa- tion program will change their attitudes toward the schools in a negative direction. Changes from N3 Reply Among the beginners there was a range from two to seven who changed from no reply to one of the given replies on the nine questions on the instrument. The mean number of these changes among the beginners was 4.4. The former adult students who changed from no reply fell in a range of from two to six with a mean of 3.7. The composite mean was 4.1, which represents 3.7% of all of the respondents. On the basis of these figures about 3.5% of all adult students will more likely be able to decide how they feel toward the public schools. The Flint adult education program, therefore, may be seen to be effective in promoting favorable 67 changes in attitudes toward the schools in the sense that some of its participants were observed to form or adopt positive attitudes toward the public schools. However, the program is not evidently efficient in this regard. At most, 20% of the participants seemed to be affected one way or another. Indeed, it could well be that the program is effective only with certain kinds of participants. To discern these possibilities, data were further analyzed to determine which characteristics were important in change. Important Characteristics ip_Change On the basis of the research, it seems that several characteristics may be used to predict those adult students who are more likely to change attitudes toward the public schools. In Chapter IV it was found that the most prevalent characteristics among the adult students who changed their replies in a positive direc- tion were: Age 20-29, taking two or more classes, length of class of fifteen weeks, taking vocational or high school completion courses, lived in area 1-5 years, high school education, lower occupational classes, resident of Flint, and home ownership. It seems safe to predict that these same charac- teristics would be possessed by those adult students who 68 would be likely to undergo positive changes in attitude, recognizing that only about 13% of the adult students enrolled will undergo positive changes in attitude. Among those who changed their reply in a negative direction, the most prevalent characteristics were: Taking one class, and length of class fourteen weeks or less. Under the same assumption as above these groups would most likely undergo negative changes in attitude after participating in an adult education program. Only one characteristic was mentioned in the section having to do with changes in reply from no reply to one of the given replies. This characteristic was having no children in school. The occurrence of this trait suggests that adult students having no children in school would be better able to make a decision with respect to the public schools after participation in an adult education program. Elie-em Although the Flint program of adult education is seen to be effective in promoting favorable attitudes toward public schools, it is not very efficient. In view of the research, its greatest effectiveness is realized in promoting favorable attitudes among younger Flint residents of the lower occupational classes who are taking two or more fifteen-week, high school 69 completion or vocational classes, and who own or are buying their own homes within the last five years. On the other hand, the program is least effective in promoting favorable changes in attitudes--it promotes negative changes-~among those students taking one class of fourteen weeks or less. It would seem that the more intense the involve- ment in the program the greater the propensity for a positive change of attitude toward the public schools, although the number of such changes was very small. CHAPTER VII INTERPRETATION AND IMPLICATIONS Data presented in the preceding chapters must be interpreted. The implications of this study, together with recommendations for the Flint program, as well as other adult education programs will also be viewed. Interpretation One of the findings of this study was that only small numbers of adult students undergo changes in atti- tude toward the public schools. Pre-test replies suggest that the overall opinion of the public schools among those students enrolled in an adult education program was above the average of the replies included on the instrument. This would suggest that selection of participants is an important factor. That is, when an adult decides to enroll in an adult education class, he is already pre- disposed favorably toward schooling in general. If so, it is easy to see why so few adult students actually changed their replies on the post-test. This is supported by the extremely small number of adult students who changed their replies downward. 70 71 Factors igDPositive Change When the questionnaires were grouped by various characteristics, it was found that several categories underwent changes in attitude in a positive direction out of proportion to their number in the sample. Each of these is examined: Ageghgg;gg. Those respondents who reached the age of twenty in the last decade have been out of school long enough to recognize the importance of a good educa- tion. This would seem to be a reason why this group changed their attitude in a positive direction. Taking Eypupgnmp£g_classes. In this classifica- tion, selection may play a role. It may also be that greater exposure to the schools may be a determinant for positive changes in attitude. Classes pf.fifteen‘ygg§g length. Enrollment in a class of fifteen weeks length gave an enrollee greater involvement in the school. Such involvement, as in the preceding category, would logically give the participant greater familiarity with the schools: the teachers, building, expenditures, techniques, materials, etc. Vocational pg high school completion classes. The potential of enrollment in a vocational or high school completion course in terms of greater earning power was seen as an important factor in promoting favorable changes in attitude toward the public schools. It might be that 72 length of exposure plays a role in this area as well, for all vocational and high school completion courses were of fifteen weeks length while few in the other classifi- cations were. page 33 2523 2113 52 file. 19113. Those who have recently moved into the area of Flint might tend to com- pare the program with which they were familiar in their previous home and find that the opportunities are such that they are more inclined toward favorable attitude toward the schools than they were formerly. High school education. Those adult students having an education through high school have more expo- sure to education in their background than do their fellows who were drop outs. This previous knowledge, coupled with a renewed interest in education evidenced by their enrollment in adult education may influence them to reevaluate the public schools more positively. Elipg_residents. Since the adult education centers in the area are almost all Flint public schools, and the teachers of the adult education classes are mostly from Flint, the identification with the Flint Community Schools by the adult students seems natural. One would expect, therefore, that Flint residents might tend more to a positive attitude on the post-test than on the pre-test, than non-residents of Flint. 73 EQEE_2322£3 Those adult students who own homes and are paying property taxes would seem to have a greater stake in the welfare of the public schools. Their in- vestment, together with their involvement in the public schoola,might tend to make them feel more positively toward the schools. Factors ip.Negative Change Examination of the group of adult students who changed their replies in a negative direction revealed that only a few of the characteristics were noted with enough frequency to report. Taking ppg_plg§§, This classification may occur as a converse of taking two or more classes among the positive changes in reply. However, the number of rest pondents changing their replies downward was so small that one cannot be sure. It may be that taking one class was among the characteristics of those who wanted to reinforce negative attitudes toward schools. Although this may be pure speculation, a fresh experience could have confirmed a previous belief that these respondents had held about the public schools. Fourteen p; 15333}; _w_e_e_k§_ in length. The comments from.the above could be repeated for this classification. In addition, it might have been that such classes were taken for some entertainment value. It was stated 74 previously that the fifteen-week classes were primarily vocational and high school completion types of classes. Factors 1.}; Changes m Np Eply Among the group of adult students who changed from.no reply to a question on the instrument to one of the given replies, were persons who had no children in school. This may be due to the fact that they had had little or no contact with the schools; and their enrollment in an adult education class represented such a direct involvement. Being involved they became more interested in the public schools and felt that they were better able to make a decision regarding the schools. Implications 22g Recommendations What are the implications of this study for the Flint adult education program? What recommendations could be made with regard to adult education programs? Several implications were revealed in this study. Recommendations with regard to adult education have also resulted from this research. Implications This study indicates that it is unsafe to place too much reliance upon the public relations aspects of adult education programs. It is true that a few adult students changed their attitudes toward the public schools, and that these changes were, for the most part, in the '-q—v 75 positive direction. However, adult education programs are no substitute for continuous, effective communication of the public school's story to the public. Recommendations It was found that in some classes, namely, voca- tional and high school completion, there was a greater increase in positive attitudes toward the schools than in the other types of classes. A recommendation which follows from this is that greater efforts should be put forth to enroll students in such courses. Many volumes have been written about the advan- tages of an adult education program. These advantages have broad application to the entire community in which such a program exists. One should keep in mind that the promotion of positive attitudes toward the public schools is only a "by-product" of an adult educational program. The principal recommendation of this study is that adult education be justified on the usual grounds rather than their public relations value. APPENDIX A 76 77 Below is a facsimile of the form distributed to the adult students at the first meeting of classes during the Winter Quarter of 1967. PLEASE PRINT MR. MRS. MISS (Encircle) (Last Name) (First) ADDRESS (Street) (City) CLASS DAY BUILDING TIME Is this your first Mott class? Yes No APPENDIX B 78 79 SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY You are being requested to fill out this survey form in order to aid the Mott Foundation to gain a better understanding of your true feelings. A11 replies will be kept strictly confidential. Please take a little of your time to fill out this form by checking the spaces which most nearly correspond to your true feelings. 1. How good are the schools in your district? Excellent Good Average Poor Very poor 2. In general, how W811 are schools educating children? Very well Quite well About average Poorly Very poorly 3. In general, hOW'Well are schools in your district educating children? Very well Quite‘well About average Poorly Very poorly 4. In general, how well are schools educating adults? Very well Quite well About average Poorly ery poorly 5. How well do you think school tax money is spent? Very well Quite‘well About average Poorly Very poorly 6. Do you believe school taxes should be increased? Must increase substantially ust increase somewhat Should remain about the same Should decrease somewhat Should decrease substantially 12. 13. 14. 80 In general, how do you feel about the cost of school buildings? Much too inexpensive (Needed details left out.) Somewhat inexpensive (Needed details left out.) About right Somewhat expensive (Unneeded details put in.) Much too expensive Unneeded details put in. In general, do you feel teachers do a good job? Teachers do an excellent job Teachers do a pretty good job Teachers do an average job Teachers do a poor job Teachers do a very poor job Do you feel that the schools do a good job in com- municating with the public? An excellent job A good job An average job A poor job A very poor job Male Female Marital Status: Single ______Married ‘Widowed Separated ivorced Occupation _ Husband's or Wife's Occupation Age: Under 20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60 or over How long have you lived in this area? Less than one year 1-5 years 6-15 years Over 15 years 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Carmen, Davison, etc.) In which so Are you a p Yes No Do you have Yes No 81 hool district do you lives? (Flint, arent? any children attending public schools? Home ownership: Own my own home Buyin Renti Education: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Other schoo g my own home ng (Encircle the highest grade you completed.) 7 8 9‘10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 How many adult classes have you had before this one? None One Two More How long ag This Last Last Betwe Two 0 than two 0 was your last adult education class? is my first semester year en one and two years ago r more years ago How many adult classes are you taking this semester? One Two Three More Have you vo Never Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, than three ted in school elections? in last election sometime within the last two years sometime within the last four years but more than four years ago APPENDIX C 82 83 The data which are reported in Tables 21-25 are summarized and reported in Table 14, while that included in Tables 26-28 are summarized and reported in Table 15. 84 TABLE 21.--Characteristics of beginning adult students who changed their replies in either direction on each question. Question Characteristic 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Male 1 3 2 7 9 6 5 2 3 Female 10 15 15 15 28 23 21 24 12 Single 0 2 3 2 7 5 5 5 2 Formerly married 1 2 l 0 0 2 0 0 2 Married 10 14 13 20 30 22 21 21 11 Age Under 20 1 2 2 4 7 5 4 5 3 20-29 7 10 9 12 20 14 15 11 6 30-39 1 5 3 3 9 9 7 8 3 40-49 1 1 l 3 l l O 1 2 50 and over 1 0 2 0 O 0 0 1 1 Taking 1 class 6 9 12 18 30 21 24 22 10 Taking 2 or more 5 9 5 4 7 8 2 4 5 Fifteen weeks length 7 9 9 ll 25 16 16 10 10 Fourteen or fewer 4 9 8 11 12 13 10 16 5 Children in school 1 2 3 9 11 8 4 3 1 No child in school 9 16 14 13 26 21 22 23 14 Parent 6 12 8 12 22 17 14 16 10 Not a parent 5 6 9 10 15 12 12 10 5 Type of class Vocational 6 8 7 10 15 14 ll 12 4 Home skill 2 3 4 5 ll 8 5 7 3 H. S. completion 3 6 6 5 9 5 6 7 7 Recreation 0 1 0 2 2 2 4 0 l Voted last election 1 7 3 10 13 10 5 4 1 Never voted 8 11 12 12 23 19 21 22 14 Voted previously 3 0 2 0 l 0 0 0 0 Lived in area Less than 1 year 3 2 4 3 4 3 3 1 2 1-5 years 7 9 7 9 12 12 ll 9 4 6-15 years 1 6 3 6 10 6 5 4 2 Over 15 years 0 1 3 4 11 8 7 12 7 TABLE 21.--Continued. 85 Question Characteristic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Some college education 1 0 3 1 4 3 3 2 0 High school diploma 4 7 8 14 ll 17 14 14 5 Drop out 6 9 5 6 11 6 7 7 6 Student 0 2 l 1 3 3 2 3 4 Occupational class 1 and 2 0 0 l 2 5 3 l 0 0 3, 4, and 5 7 9 11 9 16 ll 13 12 5 6 and 7 4 7 3 8 13 9 9 8 8 0 0 2 2 3 3 6 3 6 2 Flint resident 6 11 12 12 28 20 18 20 8 Live outside Flint 5 7 5 10 9 9 8 6 7 Home owner 5 10 11 11 22 16 16 15 8 Renter 5 7 4 8 7 6 5 6 3 Did not indicate 1 1 2 3 8 7 5 5 4 86 TABLE 22.--Characteristics of repeating adult students who changed their replies in either direction on each question. . Question Characteristic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Male 1 5 4 4 7 7 5 7 4 Female 12 13 12 ll 20 15 20 8 10 Single 1 3 4 1 3 3 4 l 1 Formerly married 1 0 1 0 2 3 1 0 0 Married 11 15 ll 14 22 16 20 14 13 Age Under 20 3 1 2 1 4 3 1 l 2 20-29 5 8 10 6 14 8 10 10 6 30-39 2 4 3 8 8 7 10 3 5 40-49 1 3 1 0 0 1 4 1 l 50 and over 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 Taking 1 class 5 7 9 7 16 12 14 6 8 Taking 2 or more 8 11 7 8 11 10 11 9 ' 6~ Fifteen weeks length 9 12 9 5 12 10 13 12 6 Fourteen or fewer 4 6 7 10 15 12 12 3 8 Children in school 1 6 5 7 7 5 8 4 5 No child in school 12 12 ll 8 20 17 17 ll 9 Parent 3 ll 10 13 16 12 20 12 11 Not a parent 10 7 6 2 ll 10 5 3 3 Type of class Vocational 4 7 6 7 9 8 4 7 4 Home skill 3 4 4 3 8 6 l4 5 7 H. S. completion 5 5 4 3 6 5 6 3 2 Recreation 1 2 2 2 4 3 l 0 1 Voted last election 3 5 6 6 16 11 14 7 7 Never voted 7 7 7 7 9 7 6 7 6 Voted previously 3 6 3 2 2 4 5 1 1 Lived in area Less than 1 year 3 2 3 l 2 2 2 2 2 1-5 years 6 9 4 11 13 8 11 10 5 6-15 years 1 5 8 2 8 7 5 2 3 Over 15 years 3 2 1 1 4 5 7 1 4 87 TABLE 22.--Continued. . Question Characteristic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Some college education 1 1 2 l 5 2 4 1 1 High school diploma 4 8 8 8 12 11 12 10 7 Drop out 7 8 5 6 9 7 9 3 5 Student 1 l l 0 1 2 0 1 1 Occupational class 1 and 2 l 1 0 0 3 l 1 0 0 3, 4, and 5 4 10 8 8 13 13 13 7 7 6 and 7 4 7 6 5 10 6 8 7 6 0 4 0 2 2 l 2 2 1 1 Flint resident 8 15 11 7 18 16 19 10 10 Live outside Flint 5 3 5 8 9 6 6 5 4 Home owner 7 12 10 13 19 18 21 12 10 Renter 5 4 5 2 7 3 3 3 2 Did not indicate 1 2 1 0 1 l 1 0 2 88 TABLE. 23--Characteristics of the beginning adult stu- dents who changed their replies ten per cent or more than their ratio in the sample. Per Cent of Characteristic Changes on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #1 Female 91 60.7 Married 91 60.7 Age 20-29 64 32.1 Taking 2 or more classes 45 23.2 Length 15 weeks 64 48.2 No child in school 82 68.7 Vocational type 55 33.0 Lived in area 1-5 years 64 30.4 Drop out 55 27.7 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 64 33.0 Question #2 Female 83 60.7 Married 83 60.7 Age 20-29 56 32.1 Taking 2 or more classes 50 23.2 No child in school 89 68.7 Lived in area 1-5 years 50 30.4 Drop out 50 30.4 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 50 33.0 Question #3 Female 88 60.7 Married 76 60.7 Age 20-29 53 32.1 No child in school 82 68.7 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 65 33.0 Question #4 ‘Married 91 60.7 Age 20-29 55 32.1 Vocational type 45 33.0 Voted in last election 45 27.7 High school education 64 36.6 Occ. class 6 and 7 36 25.9 Question #5 Married 78 60.7 Age 20-29 54 32.1 Length 15 weeks 68 48.2 High School education 51 36.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 43 33.g 53. Flint resident 75 89 TABLE 23.--Continued. Per Cent of Characteristic Changes on Per Cent in Question SamPle Question #6 Female 79 60.7 Age 20-29 48 32.1 Vocational type 48 33.0 Lived in area 1-5 years 41 30.4 High school education 59 36.6 Flint resident 69 53.6 Own home 62 50.0 Question #7 Female 81 60.7 Married 81 60.7 Age 20-29 54 32.1 Taking 1 class 92 76.8 No child in school 85 68.7 Never voted 81 67.8 Lived in area 1-5 years 42 30.4 High school education 54 36.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 50 33.0 Flint resident 69 53.6 Own home 61 50.0 Question #8 Female 92 60.7 Married 81 60.7 Age 20-29 50 32.1 Length 14 weeks or less 61 51.8 No child in school 88 68.7 Vocational type 46 33.0 Never voted 84 67.8 Lived in area over 15 years 46 31.3 High school education 54 36.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 46 33.0 Flint resident 77 53.6 Question #9 Female ' 80 60.7 Married 73 60.7 Length 15 weeks 67 48.2 No child in school 93 68.9 High school completion type 47 25.9 Never voted 93 67.8 Lived in area over 15 years 47 31.3 Drop out 40 27.7 Occ. class 6 and 7 53 25.9 Ill Ill. 5*— WW u—‘P‘ 90 TABLE 24.--Characteristics of the former adult students who changed their replies ten per cent or more than their ratio in the sample. M Per Cent of Characteristic Per Cent in Changes on Question Sample Question #1 Female 92 69.4 Taking 2 or more classes 46 34.2 No child in school 92 58.6 Not a parent 77 26.1 H. S. Completion type 38 14.4 Never voted 54 33.3 Lived in area 1-5 years 46 33.3 Drop out 54 29.7 Occ. Class O 31 15.3 Renter 38 21.6 Question #2 Age 20-29 44 29.4 Taking 2 or more classes 61 34.2 Length 15 weeks 67 35.1 Not a parent 39 26.1 Vocational type ~ 39 26.1 Lived in area 1-5 years 50 33.3 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 56 41.4 Flint resident 83 63.1 Question #3 Single 25 11.7 Age 20-29 69 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 50 34.2 Length 15 weeks 56 35.1 No child in school 69 58.6 Not a parent 38 26.1 Vocational type 38 26.1 H. S. Completion type 25 14.4 Lived in area 1-5 years 56 33.3 High school education 50 39.6 Occ. class 6 and 7 50 23.4 Question #4 Married 93 79.3 Age 20-29 53 29.7 r ‘7 ”flu-M .p‘ ._._. ... - u. . _‘o W ‘~m 91 TABLE 24.-~Continued. . Per Cent of Characteristic Changes on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #4 (continued) Taking 2 or more classes 53 34.2 Parent 87 73.9 Vocational type 47 23.4 Never voted 47 33.3 Lived in area 1-5 years 67 33.3 High school education 53 39.6 Drop out 40 29.7 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 53 41.4 Live outside of Flint 53 36.9 Home owner 86 74.0 Question #5 Age 20-29 52 29.7 No child in school 74 58.6 Not a parent 41 26.1 Lived in area 1-5 years 49 33.3 Occ. class 6 and 7 41 23.4 Question #6 Taking 2 or more classes 56 34.2 Taking 15 weeks 56 35.1 No child in school 77 58.6 Not a parent 56 26.1 Vocational type 44 23.4 High school education 50 39.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 59 41.4 Question #7 Female 80 69.4 Age 20-29 44 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 48 34.2 Length 15 weeks 52 35.1 H. S. Completion type 28 14.4 Lived in area 1-5 years 44 33.3 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 52 41.4 Flint resident 76 63.1 Home owner 84 74.0 - , . ,— s. m,- - - O.- . ~_._._.-_.__4 _ i u . 4 - ~_.. . . . -._...‘j-.-_. 92 TABLE 24.--Continued. Per Cent of Characteristic changes on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #8 Male 47 30.6 Married 93 79.3 Age 20-29 years 67 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 60 34.2 Length 15 weeks 80 35.1 No child in school 73 41.4 Vocational type 46 23.4 Never voted 46 33.3 Lived in area 1-5 years 67 33.3 High school education 67 39.6 Occ. class 6 and 7 46 23.4 Question #9 Married 93 79.3 Age 20-29 years 43 29.7 Length 15 weeks 57 35.1 High school education 50 39.6 Occ. class 6 and 7 43 23.4 93 TABLE 25.--Characteristics of beginning adult students who changed their replies in a positive direction on each question. Question Characteristic l 2 5 6 8 9 Male 0 3 1 6 8 5 4 2 3 Female 7 12 9 ll 22 19 14 18 9 Single 0 2 1 l 6 4 3 4 2 Formerly married 0 2 O 0 O 1 0 O 0 Married 7 ll 9 16 24 19 15 16 10 Age--under 20 l l 1 2 6 5 3 4 2 20-29 5 8 5 11 16 11 9 8 6 30-39 1 5 3 2 8 8 6 7 2 40-49 0 1 1 2 O O 0 l l 50 and over 0 0 0 0 O O 0 0 1 Taking one class 2 6 5 13 23 16 17 16 8 Taking 2 or more 5 9 5 4 7 8 l 4 4 Fifteen week length 5 7 5 9 21 14 12 8 9 Fourteen or less 2 8 5 8 9 10 6 12 3 Children in school 2 2 3 7 10 8 4 3 1 No child in school 5 13 7 10 20 l6 l4 17 11 Parent 4 10 5 10 18 14 ll 12 8 Not a parent 3 5 5 7 12 10 7 8 4 Vocational type 3 7 3 8 12 10 7 8 4 Home skill type 1 2 2 4 8 7 4 5 2 H. 3. Completion type 3 6 5 4 8 5 4 6 6 Recreation type 0 O 0 1 2 2 2 O l Voted last election 1 7 2 9 ll 9 5 4 1 Never voted 5 8 7 8 19 15 13 16 11 Voted, but previously 1 0 1 O O O 0 0 0 Lived in area Less than year 1 1 1 2 3 2 0 0 0 1-5 years 5 8 6 6 8 9 8 6 3 6-15 years 1 5 3 5 10 6 4 4 2 Over 15 years 0 1 0 4 9 7 6 10 7 ......—. TABLE 25.--Continued 94 Characteristic l 2 3 guesgion6 7 8 9 Some college education 0 0 O l 3 l 2 2 0 High school diploma 2 5 5 10 15 14 10 10 4 Drop out 5 8 4 5 9 6 4 6 5 Student 0 2 l l 3 3 2 2 3 Occup. class 1 & 2 O 0 O l 4 2 O 0 0 3, 4, and 5 4 7 7 7 14 9 9 8 4 6 & 7 3 7 3 6 ll 8 8 7 7 0 0 1 0 3 1 5 1 5 1 Flint resident 4 ll 8 10 23 17 12 16 7 Live outside Flint 3 4 2 7 7 7 6 4 5 Home owner 4 9 8 9 18 15 14 13 8 Renter 2 5 2 6 6 4 l 3 2 Did not indicate 1 1 0 2 6 5 3 4 2 95 TABLE 26.--Characteristics of former adult students who changed their replies in a positive direction on each question. Question Characteristic 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 Male 1 3 2 4 5 6 4 6 3 Female 7 8 6 9 16 9 l7 6 8 Single 1 l 3 l 3 l 3 l l Formerly married 4 5 5 5 12 6 9 8 4 Married 6 10 4 12 17 ll 17 ll 10 Age Under 20 3 l 2 l 4 2 l 1 2 20-29 4 5 5 5 12 6 9 8 4 30-39 0 3 l 7 5 6 9 3 5 40-49 1 2 0 0 O 0 l O O 50 and over 0 0 0 0 O O l O 0 Taking one class 3 3 4 5 l3 8 12 4 6 Taking 2 or more classes 5 8 4 8 8 7 9 8 5 Length 15 weeks 8 9 7 5 11 8 17 10 5 Fourteen weeks or less 0 2 l 8 10 7 10 2 6 No child in school 8 8 6 7 16 10 14 9 7 Children in school 0 3 2 6 5 5 7 3 4 Parent 1 7 4 11 ll 9 17 9 9 Not a parent 7 4 4 2 10 6 4 3 2 Vocational type 3 6 4 7 8 6 3 5 3 Home skill type 0 O 0 2 7 4 12 4 5 H. S. Completion type 5 4 4 3 6 5 5 3 2 Recreation type 0 l 0 l 0 O l 0 1 Voted last election 0 3 2 5 l3 8 11 6 5 Voted previously 2 4 2 2 l 3 5 l 1 Never voted 6 4 4 6 7 4 5 5 5 Lived in area Less than 1 year 2 1 2 l 1 O l 2 1 1-5 years 4 6 4 9 ll 5 10 7 3 6-15 years 0 3 2 2 5 6 4 2 3 Over 15 years 2 l O 1 4 4 6 l 4 Education Some college 0 0 l l 5 1 4 l 1 High schoo 1 4 4 7 8 8 10 7 5 Drop out 6 6 3 5 7 4 7 3 4 Student 1 l 0 O l 2 O l l TABLE 26.--Continued. 96 Question Characteristic l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Occupational class 1 and 2 O O 0 0 3 l l 0 O 3, 4, and 5 1 5 2 8 ll 8 10 5 6 6 and 7 4 6 5 4 6 4 7 6 5 O 3 O l l 1 2 3 l 0 Flint resident 6 9 5 6 15 10 16 7 7 Live outside Flint 2 2 3 7 6 5 5 5 4 Home owner 3 8 4 12 16 13 18 10 9 Renter 4 2 3 l 4 l 2 2 0 Did not indicate 1 1 l O l l 1 O 2 97 TABLE 27.--Characteristics of beginning adult students who changed their replies in a positive direction ten per cent or more than their ratio in the sample. Characteristic Per Cent of Changes on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #1 Female 100 60.7 Married 100 60.7 Age 20-29 71 32.1 Taking 2 or more classes 71 23.2 Length 15 weeks 71 48.2 Lived in area 1-5 years 71 30.4 Drop out 71 27.7 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 57 33.0 Occ. class 6 and 7 43 25.9 Question #2 Female 80 69.7 Married 73 60.7 Age 20-29 53 32.1 Age 30-39 33 22.3 Taking 2 or more classes 60 23.2 No child in school 87 68.7 Vocational type 47 33.0 H. S. completion type 40 25.9 Voted in last election 46 27.7 Lived in area 1-5 years 53 30.4 Drop out 53 27.7 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 46 33.0 Occ. class 6 and 7 46 25.9 Flint resident 73 53.6 Home owner 60 50.0 Question #3 Female 90 60.7 Married 90 60.7 Age 20-29 50 32.1 Taking 2 or more classes 50 23.2 H. S. completion type 50 25.9 Lived in area 1-5 years 60 30.4 High school education 50 36.3 Drop out 40 27.7 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 70 33.0 Flint resident 80 53.6 Home owner 80 50.0 TABLE 27.--Continued. 98 Per Cent of Characteristic Changes on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #4 Married 94 60.7 Age 20-29 65 32.1 Vocational type 47 33.0 Voted in last election 53 27.7 High school education 59 36.6 Question #5 Married 80 60.7 Age 20-29 53 32.1 Length fifteen weeks 70 48.2 High school education 50 36.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 47 33.0 Occ. 6 and 7 37 25.9 Flint resident 77 53.6 Home owner 60 50.0 Question #6 Female 79 60.7 Married 79 60.7 Age 20-29 46 32.1 Age 30-39 33 22.3 Length fifteen weeks 58 48.2 High school education 58 36.6 Flint resident 71 53.6 Home owner 63 50.0 Question #7 Married 83 60.7 Age 20-29 50 32.1 Age 30-39 33 22.3 Taking 1 class 94 76.8 Length 15 weeks 67 48.2 Vocational type 44 33.0 Lived in area 1-5 years 44 30.4 High school education 56 36.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 50 33.0 Occ. class 6 and 7 44 25.9 Flint resident 67 53.6 Home owner 78 50.0 99 TABLE 27.--Continued. , P r C t of Characteristic Shanggs on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #8 Female 90 60.7 Married 80 60.7 Age 30-39 35 22.3 No child in school 85 68.7 Vocational type 45 33.0 Never voted 80 67.8 Lived in area over 15 years 50 31.3 High school education 50 31.3 Flint resident 80 53.6 Home owner 65 50.0 Question #9 Female 75 60.7 Married 83 60.7 Age 20-29 50 32.1 Taking 2 or more classes 33 23.2 Length 15 weeks 75 48.2 No child in school 93 68.7 H. S. Completion type 50 25.9 Never voted 93 68.7 Lived in area over 15 years 58 31.3 Drop out 42 27.7 Student 33 14.3 Occ. class 6 and 7 58 25.9 Home owner 67 50.0 ..... 100 TABLE 28.--Characteristics of former adult students who changed their replies in a positive direction ten per cent or more than their ratio in the sample. Per Cent of Characteristic Changes on Per Cent 1“ Question' Sample Question #1 Female 88 69.4 Age under 20 38 9.9 Age 20-29 50 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 63 34.2 Length 15 weeks 100 35.1 No child in school 100 58.6 Not a parent 88 26.1 Vocational type 38 23.4 H. S. completion type 63 14.4 Never voted 75 33.3 Lived in area less than year 25 5.4 Lived in area 1-5 years 50 33.3 Drop out 75 29.7 Occ. class 6 and 7 50 23.4 Occ. class 0 38 15.3 Flint resident 75 63.1 Renter 50 21.6 Question #2 Married 91 79.3 Age 20-29 45 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 73 34.2 Length 15 weeks 82 35.1 No child in school 73 58.6 Not a parent 36 26.1 Vocational type 55 23.4 H. S. completion type 36 14.4 Voted previously 36 16.2 Lived in area l-5 years 55 33.3 Drop out 55 29.7 Occ. class 6 and 7 55 23.4 Flint resident 82 63.1 Question #3 Single 38 11.7 Age under 20 25 9.9 Age 20-29 63 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 50 34.2 Length 15 weeks 88 35.1 No child in school 75 58.6 Not a parent 50 26.1 Vocational type 50 23.4 101 TABLE 28.--Continued. . . Per Cent of . Characteristic Changes on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #3 (continued) H. S. completion type 50 14.4 Never voted 50 33.3 Lived in area less than year 25 5.4 Lived in area 1-5 years 50 33.3 High school education 50 39.6 Occ. class 6 and 7 63 23.4 Renter 38 21.4 Question #4 Married 92 79.3 Age 30-39 54 32.4 Taking 2 or more classes 62 34.2 Parent 85 73.9 Vocational type 54 23.4 Never voted 46 33.3 Lived in area 1-5 years 69 33.3 High school education 54 39.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 62 41.4 Home owner 92 74.0 Question #5 Age 20-29 57 29.7 Length 15 weeks 52 35.1 No child in school 76 58.6 Not a parent 48 26.1 Vocational type 38 23.4 H. S. completion type 29 14.4 Voted last election 62 50.5 Lived in area 1-5 years 52 33.3 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 52 41.4 Question #6 Formerly married 20 9.0 Age 20-29 40 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 47 34.2 Length 15 weeks 53 35.1 Not a parent 40 26.1 Vocational type 40 23.4 H. S. completion type 33 14.4 Lived in area 6-15 years 40 22.5 High school education 53 39.6 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 53 41.4 Home owner 87 74.0 102 TABLE 28.--Continued. Per Cent of Characteristic Changes on Per Cent in Question Sample Question #7 Female 81 69.4 Age 20-29 43 29.7 Age 30-39 43 23.4 Length 15 weeks 52 35.1 Lived in area 1-5 years 48 33.3 Flint resident 76 63.1 Home owner 86 74.0 Question #8 Male 50 30.6 Married 92 79.3 Age 20-29 67 29.7 Taking 2 or more classes 67 34.2 Length 15 weeks 83 35.1 No child in school 75 58.6 Vocational type 42 23.4 H. S. completion type 25 14.4 Lived in area less than year 17 5.4 Lived in area 1-5 years 58 33.3 High school education 58 33.3 Occ. class 6 and 7 58 39.6 Question #9 Married 91 79.3 Age 30-39 45 32.4 Taking 2 or more classes 45 34.2 Length 15 weeks 45 35.1 Never voted 45 33.3 Occ. class 3, 4, and 5 55 41.4 Occ. class 6 and 7 45 23.4 Home ownership 18 4.5 BIBLIOGRAPHY 103 BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Feller, William. An Introduction.£g.ProbabilityTheory and Its ApEIications. Vol. I. 2nd edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1957. Hand, Harold C., Finlay, Gilbert C., and Dolio, Ardwin J. Illinois Inventor of Parent Opinion. Chicago: WorId Book Company,—I948. Katz, Elihu, and Lazarsfeld, Paul F. Personal Influence New York: The Free Press, 1955. Kempfer, Homer. Adult Education. New York: MtGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., I955. Kidd, J. R. Financing Continuin Education. New York: The Scarecraw Press, Inc., . Kindrid, Leslie W. School Public Relations. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: FrentIce-HaII, Inc., 1957. Knowles, Malcolm S. Informal Adult Education. New York: Association Press, I950. . (ed.) Handbook g£.Adu1t Education. Chicago: Adult Education Association of’the U.S.A., 1960. Lindquist, E. F. Statistical Analysis in Educational Research. Camfiridge, Mass.: TEE'RIverside Press, I940. McCloskey, Gordon. Education and Public Understandin . New York: Harper and Row, 85ers, I959. Odell, C. W. An Introduction to Educational Statistics. New Yofk: Prentice-HaII, Inc., I946. Petersen, Renee, and Petersen,'William. University Adult Education. New York: Harper an Brothers, FGBIIsEers, I960. 104 ‘illi‘ 1' I‘ll l l ll‘ll‘llllllllllllilillll‘ltllilflti ll: 105 The Rand Corporation. A_Million Random Digits with 100 000 Normal Deviates. NQW'YOI : The Free W113;— Rugg, Harold 0. Statistical Methods A lied to Education. Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, 1917. Snow, Robert H. Community Adult Education. New York: G. P. Putnam's SOns, I955. Stearns, Harry L. Community Relations and the Public Schools. EnglewoOHWCIiffs, N. J.: Prentice- HaII, Inc., 1955. Thatcher, John H. (ed.) Public School Adult Education: A Guide £2£_Administrators. Revised edition. ‘Wasfiington: National Association of Public School Adult Educators, 1963. Verner, Collie, and Booth, Alan. Adult Education. Washington: The Center for Applied Research in Education, Inc., 1964. Wandt, Edwin, and Brown, Gerald W. Essentials of Educational Evaluation. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1957. Warner, W. L., Meeker, Marcia, and Bella, Kenneth. "Occupational Composition of Social Classes,” Mag, Work, and Societ . Edited by Sigmund Nosow and WiIIiam H. Form. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1962. Periodicals The Flint Journal. December 30, 1966. Reports Flint Board of Education. Answers £2.9uestions Mest Frequently Asked by_Visitors to F int 3 Community SchooIs. FIint, Midhigan: By the nt card of Education, 1963. . The Flint Community School Program: _A_n Overview. F1 nt, Mic igan: By t e lint Board of Education, 1963. 106 . The Say "Hello!" in 17 Lan ua es. A Report on Vis tations to the-Flifit Community Schools During 1961. Flint, Michigan: By the Flint Board of Education, 1962. unpublished Material Board of Education, Genesee Intermediate School District. "School District Summaries and Information, 1966 Edition," Flint, Michigan, 1967. (Mimeographed.) Flint, Michigan League of Women Voters. "Flint Public School, K-12." Flint, Michigan, 1967. (Multilithed.) Highland Park Board of Education. "Citizen Opinion Form." Highland Park, Michigan, 1964. (Multilithed.) Holman, Paul Cameron. "Community School Leaders as Personal Influence Leaders." Unpublished Ph.D dissertation, College of Education, Michigan State University, 1965. Kelley, Ida B. "A Scale for Measuring Attitude Toward Any Institution. Edited by H. H. Remmers. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University, 1934. (Mimeographed.) Parnell, Dale Paul. "Voter Participation Patterns in Three Oregon Districts." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Colle e of Education, University of Oregon, 196%. Whisler, Norman Leroy. "Public Relations Activities and Voter Support of Public Schools." Unpub- lished Ph.D. dissertation, College of Education, The Ohio State University, 1965. "I11111111111911111111115